Behnam Kamrani (Iran, 1968) Untitled from the series ‘Ascension’ Mixed media on paper 70 x 89.5 cm

Behnam Kamrani (Iran, 1968) Untitled from the series ‘Ascension’ Mixed media on paper 70 x 89.5 cm
Behnam Kamrani is an Iranian multidisciplinary artist, designer, curator, art critic and academic.
He displayed his work in fourteen solo shows and in more than three hundred group exhibitions in Iran and around the world. He also co-curated the Shanghai Biennial and organised a number of exhibitions on the work of famous modern and contemporary Iranian artists in important galleries in Tehran.
‘My visual world is affected by both Eastern and Western visual culture and I have used both wherever necessary. My earliest works were so much inspired by Iranian painting tradition.’
In this artwork, the artist depicts Buraq, the magical, composite creature that led the Prophet Muhammad on his mystical journeys from Mecca to Jerusalem and up heaven and back, and known as Isra' and Mi'raj, respectively. In this case, however, Muhammad was not portrayed, there is only Buraq ascending from the earth, represented by a series of polygonal shapes, to the sky, indicated by touches of blue paint that emphasizes the celestial vault, which is also enriched by a pair of stylized wings. In this phase of his production, the artist focused on elements coming from the Islamic cultural and religious tradition, attributing to his works a kind of spiritual aura. At the same time, however, his aim was to expand his artistic horizons and create his own visual vocabulary. Provenance: the owner had it directly from the artist.