What is the theme of the exhibition and what message does it convey to the viewer?
The subject of my exhibition is the people, traditions and lifestyles in the Middle East. I try to re-imagine how people relate to themselves and their culture and their customs using different colours, textures, and different techniques, with a visual poetic expression. I paint in different layers in my paintings.
This exhibition consists of a collection of works that will be exhibited for the first time in Oman, while the book consists of my previous and recent works. My effort is to show the rich culture and heritage of the Middle East.
In your career as an artist and lecturer, what has been the most fulfilling moment?
Over the last 20 years, I have painted more than 200 paintings. As an artist who has been in the Middle East for many years, and traveled the world, I have portrayed figures of wars, immigration, loneliness, happiness, traditions, heritage, separation, customs and more which express the feelings, emotions and mood of the people, especially in the Middle East, which has long involved all the people of the world.
I have tried to use a style of expressionism to express my feelings on this subject and to show the creation of stillness and movement using visual elements as well as human beings in the context of time and place, forms, colours, and textures which represent an unintended algebra of human conditions today.
As a teacher, with thirty years of experience teaching art in different countries, it was the most beautiful feeling to witness the flourishing of my students' artistic talents. For an artist, the most glorious moment is when a work of art is created. In fact, an artist creates artworks and artwork create the artist, at the same time."
What is your opinion about the evolution of art in the middle east and, in particular, Oman?
Today's modern world needs spirituality. Perhaps the task of today's artist is to achieve contemporary spirituality by discovering the magic of spirituality in ancient art, and reusing it in the modern world.
One of the aims of Middle Eastern artists is to pay attention to their own identity. Middle Eastern art has always been influential to the world in these works.
The art movement in the Middle East has been developing rapidly for more than two decades, and as a new phenomenon in world contemporary art, it has found a new place. Middle Eastern artists have presented their work in museums and galleries around the world.
How do you view Oman as a conducive environment for art and artists?
In my opinion, Oman needs to create spaces suitable for international standards in order to display the works of artists and art education at different levels of education, whether in schools and universities or in institutions of international standard.
Do you have any unfulfilled ambitions?
As an artist, I pursue and my artistic aspirations, dreams, and goals, and sometimes I have achieved them. Between 1985 till 1999, I have coordinated three art museums and two private art colleges in Iran, besides publishing art educational books and videos. In 2001-2005, I had started the Memory Mural Painting Movement in Canberra, Australia, besides many other ventures.
In Oman, I have started the Method of Creative Imagination classes and Art projects with new art ideas and projects, events and exhibitions. This will be announced soon. I will continue to work towards this, so that audiences get acquainted with more artistic issues and artistic movements in Oman.