The Big Shave
ABProjects collaborated with Dastan Basement on Farrokh Mahdavi’s solo exhibition titled “The Big Shave” curated by Ali Bakhtiari . The exhibition held for public viewing from November 25, 2016, through December 4. Farrokh’s work has been featured in two solo exhibitions as well as many group shows, including at Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde (Dubai) and Galerie Krinzinger (Vienna), as well as Venice Biennale in 2015.
Farrokh Mahdavi’s (b. 1970, Tehran, Iran) works are easily distinguished with their unique pink hue and recognizable technique. As he once said about his portraits, Farrokh aims to reach “a more material meaning*” by “omitting the impurities”, defamiliarization of known facial elements, and crossing over “cliché definitions”.
The current body of work that have been created over the course of about two years, generally show the process of shaving one’s face. He states: “Since my facial hair began to turn white, I started to shave every day in order not to see the white ones. This routine gradually became more interesting, causing me to further think about it. These paintings have been inspired by this experience.” The works are a progression of the artist’s previous paintings, but aspects of his different series have been mixed together as well. Farrokh’s signature expressive approach along with his realist approach in painting the eyes of the portraits, are among the most distinctive features of this series.
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