LONDON.- Sophia Contemporary announces the gallery’s second exhibition, a series of mixed media works and drawings by the artist Mehrdad Khataei in his first solo exhibition in London. The artist presents sixteen recent mixed media artworks and sixteen drawings from his ongoing Shadows series which depict the aftermath of an undefined catastrophe, using it as a basis to explore the tension between chaos and order which exists in society. Having experienced first-hand the war between Iran and Iraq in the 1980s, Khataei interrogates the nature of the modern condition through his multi-layered images, aiming to reveal the shadowy part of humanity and throw into relief what he perceives to be the fine line between normality and insanity inherent within the structures of contemporary civilisation.
Within his artistic practice Khataei uses a variety of techniques, from charcoal, pencil and pastel to linocut, aquatint and drypoint printing. The artist explores the limits of his chosen media, experimenting to create his own contemporary visual language while at the same time retaining an essence of the Iranian artistic tradition in his use of pictorial space. Khataei sees the composition of his works as a microcosm of civilisation as a whole. The empty spaces between figures and object create a vacuum representing the erosion of social equality and stability. Through the use of montage and shifting perspectives, Khataei creates a disturbing sense of space within his works, alluding to the disturbance in one’s own personal and private space as technological advancements thwart the individual’s ability to control their own identity.
Voluminous heads and figures occupy the main space of Khataei’s large-scale images which are surrounded by various symbols and creatures all bearing the marks of an unnamed disaster; blots on foreheads suggest ulcerated skin, military figures in gas masks leer out of the shadows and there are suggestions of smoke and debris throughout. Imagery repeats itself throughout the works; electricity pylons, houses, clothing, x-rays, animals and
severed body parts are all highly realistic and otherworldly. These shadowy and often part-formed objects may imply destruction, but they also nod to the normality that existed before the catastrophe. Despite the desecration surrounding his central figures, Khataei’s draughtsmanship is such that the faces appear to be full of life, sadly observing the chaos surrounding them and demonstrating the artist’s belief in humanity’s capacity for resilience, even within the midst of a dystopia.
Mehrdad Khataei (born 1976, Tabriz, Iran) graduated from the Azad University of Tehran in 2001 with an M.A. in Fine Arts. He currently teaches at the College of Fine Arts of Tehran University and is widely credited for educating a new generation of Iranian artists.
He has been awarded numerous prizes. Notable accolades received include the Premio Fibrenus award from the Carnello cArte ad Arte Institute in Italy (2015), the Semi Grand-Prix of the Tokyo International Mini-Print Triennial, Japan (2015), the Second Prize of the 4th International Printmaking Biennale in Valladolid, Spain (2014), and the Finalist Prize of the 1st International Printing Biennale of Istanbul, Turkey (2008).
Khataei’s artworks have been shown in numerous national and international biennials and exhibitions. His work features in many public art collections including the Tama Art University Museum, Tokyo, Japan; The Library of Congress, Washington DC, USA; The International Print Center New York (IPCNY), USA; The Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts, Russia; The Guanlan Original Printmaking Base, China and The Istanbul Museum of Graphic Arts, Turkey (IMOGA).
