LOT 45 - Mohammad Ariayei

Sahar K. Boluki Fine Art Gallery

Title: Untitled

Dimensions: 11.8" x 8.26" (before frame)

Medium: Mixed media on cardboard

Date: 2021

Born in 1987 in Golpayegan, a small town in the Isfahan province of Iran, Mohammad Ariyaei had a vivid imagination as a child. He spent hours playing with imaginary friends, whom he believed to be fairies or geniuses that lived in the kitchen cupboard or courtyard. His grandmother, who practiced Sufism and had a strong connection with the afterlife, inspired him with her fantastic stories that populated his imagination. In 2013, Ariyaei’s life took a new turn when he met an illustrator of children’s books at a friend’s house. Encouraged by the illustrator, Ariyaei painted his first canvas without any formal training. This marked the beginning of his career as an artist. His work has been exhibited in several group exhibitions across Iran, including Tehran, as well as in the Netherlands, Lebanon, Germany, and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. In 2018 and 2020, he also had individual exhibitions in Iran. Ariyae’s art is characterized by bright and vibrant colors that cover the entire surface of the paper. His characters, often seeming trapped on the background, have the power to catch the viewer’s attention. Without the use of perspective or a vanishing point, his figures press themselves onto the surface of the paper, like genies trapped in a lamp. He complements his images with informative and ironic poems by Saadi and Hafez, either written on or next to them.