Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Preview: Mehdi Ghadyanloo’s “Perception” at Howard Griffin Gallery

Howard Griffin Gallery is currently setting up "Perception," the debut London solo show of Iranian painter and muralist Medhi Ghadyanloo. For this show, the artist will create a full-scale sculptural installation at the gallery space and exhibit a new body of work that is loaded with symbolism. During his stay in London, the artist will be creating a series of outdoors murals around the British capital similar to the ones he's been creating in his hometown of Tehran.

Photo courtesy of Marcus Peel.

Howard Griffin Gallery is currently setting up “Perception,” the debut London solo show of Iranian painter and muralist Medhi Ghadyanloo. For this show, the artist will create a full-scale sculptural installation at the gallery space and exhibit a new body of work that is loaded with symbolism. During his stay in London, the artist will be creating a series of outdoors murals around the British capital similar to the ones he’s been creating in his hometown of Tehran.

Ghadyanloo started getting international recognition when his unique murals went viral. Working with Beautification Bureau of Tehran’s municipality, he painted over 100 murals in his hometown in the last 8 years, aiming to “beautify” the gray and polluted city. His surrealist works include play with perspectives, altered realities, and gravity-defying characters and scenarios, and often use optical illusions. Often incorporating nearby buildings and objects into his work, his murals dominate the landscape of Iranian capital.

Though technically similar, the subjects of his canvas works are much darker and more direct. Using a muted palette and empty landscapes, random floating or geometrical objects give a sense of unease to his work. His pieces carry a sense of uncertainty and tension. His visual minimalism suggests a failed utopia, which can be seen as a representation of a world-wide phenomenon as well as more focused critique of post-revolutionary Iran. The show will open on February 26 at Howard Griffin Gallery and will stay on view through April 2.

Photo courtesy of Marcus Peel.

Photo courtesy of Marcus Peel.

Photo courtesy of Marcus Peel.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Tristan Eaton (HF Vol. 34) is such a versatile painter, his collage-like murals often include a combination of typography, realistic portraiture, illustration, and patterns — all rendered freehand with spray paint. His ability to mix and match various styles within a single, cohesive image lends his work well to collaborations, like the ones he completed over the course of the past week with fellow street artists Cyrcle and How & Nosm in Brooklyn.
Berlin-based Japanese artist Twoone has been pushing his style further in recent months. As we saw in our studio visit with him, and again last month, he continues to expand on his hyper colored palette and materials, bringing his works to life as fluorescent light boxes. Opening on October 8th, Twoone will exhibit a new series at AvantGarden Gallery in Milan, Italy.
Brazilian artists Biciclea Sem Freio have a solo show titled "Fera" coming up on March 5 at London's RexRomae Gallery, curated by JustKids. The duo met at the university of Federal University of Goiás while studying visual art. They got their start designing rock posters and quickly moved on to creating their personal, collaborative artwork and street art. Nowadays, their colorful, graphic murals have taken them all over the world. Take a look at some of the pieces that will be included in "Fera" as well as some of their recent walls below.
Hot off a mural tour that took him to Philadelphia, Chicago and New York, Shepard Fairey recently traveled to Berlin for to create a new street piece for Urban Nation's "One Wall" project. The arts platform is behind the interdisciplinary Project M (see our coverage here and here) and recently invited Fairey, Dutch collage artist Handiedan and Irish muralists Icy & Sot to create large-scale wall works. In his typical propaganda fashion, Fairey's mural champions creative freedom with the slogan "Make Art Not War." Read our recent interview with Fairey here and take a look at some photos of the piece by Henrik Haven below.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List