Welcome back to our International Artist Series.
Today
we’re catching up with seven incredible artists from Iran, a nation rich in history and inspiring people. I
asked each artist how
their country and culture influenced their work, and they delivered great
responses.
Maryam Khaleqi
First up is the exceptional work of 3D and motion graphics artist, Maryam Khaleqi. Transforming architecture into pixel-based cubes, she creates fascinating illustrations with phenomenal lighting.
See more in her portfolio.
City Lights
I love my country because of its rich culture and amazing art. The civilization goes way back in the history but recently it’s been
getting harder everyday to live a life without worrying about what the
future might hold for us due to national/international issues.
It’s hard but life goes on and doing art makes me
think less about everything else and encourages me to work for a
better future!
Ekbatan
I’m inspired specifically by Iranian/Islamic architecture. I’m also inspired by their colors and patterns; they are very meaningful and full of stories
behind them.
Azadi Tower
Abandoned Observatory
The art community is very wide, friendly, and also very active. It
includes lots of passionate people who are trying their best to connect
to the world and show people the true face of Iran and its
people through their work.
Aryan Hasanvandi
Next, we enter the world of Aryan Hasanvandi, an illustrator and designer living in Tehran, Iran. Featuring a mixture of eccentric characters and bold techniques, his work is eclectic, outstanding, and truly unique.
See more in his portfolio.
Girl & the Fox
As an ancient historical place, Iran holds a great deal of sacred energy
which presents itself through the pure, beautiful nature. It’s also
hidden in the eyes of the wise people I meet every day.
Besides all of the pressure and anxiety I’m dealing with nowadays
because of the political and economic issues, living here is like
playing a video game set on survival mode, which is making me a better
gamer.
Cats & Creeps
Iranian people are very expressive with a wide range of characteristics I find inspiring.
This made me focus on capturing the essence of
“expression” through my works, as I live in a cat-shaped country (on the
map) and I meet a lot of cats every day on every corner.
Creeps & Cats
Bored
The art community in Iran has three faces, upper ground, middle ground,
and underground.The upper ground community mainly focuses on popular
and conservative subjects, while the middle ground community contains artists who are trying to
express themselves truly but are also very careful not to cross the
line.
Now the underground community lives on the edge; these are artists who have a true
desire for expressing themselves without any limits and they
often face many problems because there is a long list of “taboo subjects” in Iran.
Sepideh Sabour
Next up is Sepideh, a UI and UX designer from Tehran, Iran. With an eye for clean, minimalist shapes and bold colors, Sepideh creates striking websites, illustrations, and even apps.
See more in her portfolio.
HealthyPal Website
I rarely work on graphical projects, but I
do love illustrating.
I have a part-time job in an eCommerce company in Iran and a part-time
remote job for an Australian software company. And in both companies, I’m a UI/UX
Designer. Once in a while if I find any spare time I also get projects as a freelancer.
Cubism Calendar
The influence of living in Iran on my work is that I pay special
attention to details with beautiful elements used because Iran
has a rich culture for miniature and detailed design.
HealthyPal Dashboard
Cubism Calendar
Iran has great designers but we do
perfect things individually. We don’t like paying each other compliments but on the other hand, we’re
so idealistic. We love to break the rules and let the creative juices flow.
Hossein Fiuoj
If you had a dream house, would you build it? Our next artist, architectural designer Hossein Fiuoj, did just that with his exceptional designs in 3D software. Check out his extraordinary digital illustrations of houses and interior rooms.
See more in his portfolio.
Swiss Simplicity
Iran is a country with a diverse world and with a vast diversity of ethnicities and climate.
69 M²
Due to the different minerals in Iran, we see a variety of indigenous
architecture and all of them are full of inspiring ideas for any architect. There are also a
variety of colors in the form of tile work and so on.
Exterior and Bathroom
Dream
The Iranian art community is in a good position in terms of creativity, and we have a mutual respect between the arts and the artists.
Hamideh Mohebbi
Hamideh is a traditional artist living in Tehran, Iran. Her beautiful traditional work is both familiar and comforting, and it features a dose of the abstract to match her colorful palettes.
See more in her portfolio.
The Most Beautiful God’s Morning
Tehran (my
city) is the place that has a variety of people with different cultures and languages all living together. That is what makes it attractive and lively. We also have many historical artworks to enjoy, which, even in our simple life, we see and experience them all.
Tabeta Stories
For some, many find inspiration in the powerful fables and myths that come from ancient history. But even in our everyday living, we’ve got many subjects that are
great for inspiration, particularly for illustration. For example, there are many inspiring love stories as well as strange stories about animals, honesty, and parallel worlds.
Mini Sketchbook
We
Most of the arts in Iran are set and organized by the government. So Iranian
artists should adhere and take part in some of the religious and
cultural programs with their work. But associations and other art groups
should also work under the government’s umbrella.
Iranian artists may have less opportunity, but we try to connect with the outside world for
more freedom and less limitations.
Jafar Behravan Rad
Illustrator and graphic designer Jafar Behravan Rad makes incredible illustrations featuring some of the world’s favorite movie characters, villains, and superheroes. Enjoy this selection of expressive digital art with great color and visual stories.
See more in his portfolio.
Samurai
Iran is where I was born. I’ve grown up, but I’m so
dependent on my family and my hometown so I’ve never thought about
leaving my country. However, working here as an artist has its own
challenges and difficulties because sometimes we are so limited.
Monster is Here!
Iran is so rich in traditional art, architecture, and literature; and
undoubtedly I’m so inspired by our Islamic and traditional art.I always
try to include some of our special art and
architecture in my artwork. I try to do my best to mix these international artistic features with
characteristics of my own art rich in magnificent history.
African Warrior
In Wood
There are plenty of art communities in Iran. Some of them are run by the
government and some are not. Unfortunately, many of these
communities and facilities are located in our
capital city, so many young and gifted people who live in other places are really deprived and discriminated against.However, we try
to keep ourselves updated and connected. All in all, living here and
doing artistic jobs are both very hard.
Soraya Mokhtari
Finally, our last artist is the talented Soraya Mokhtari from Tehran, Iran. With a love of cinema and animation, she creates vivid illustrations full of wonder and the charm of everyday life.
See more in her portfolio.
My Week
I like it here in Iran because I was born and raised here, and because of all the memories I have.
I also love the diversity of the people. Iran has so many different
ethnicities. Therefore, we get to have a first hand experience of so
many different cultures without traveling far.
Inktober 2017
I mostly get inspired by the people around me. And my everyday life.
My Week
Friends
I’m an independent artist like many here. So I’m not too familiar with the “art community” in Iran.
Many thanks to the artists who took the time to answer my
questions and share a bit about themselves and how their country and/or culture
has affected their work. You can check out more of their work in the links
below:
- Maryam Khaleqi
- Aryan Hasanvandi
- Sepideh Sabour
- Hossein Fiuoj
- Hamideh Mohebbi
- Jafar Behravan Rad
- Soraya Mokhtari
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