Abu Dhabi Art 2025

SARAI Gallery is pleased to announce its participation in Abu Dhabi Art 2025, held at Manarat Al Saadiyat from November 19 to 23, 2025. Marking the gallery's fifth consecutive appearance at the fair, SARAI Gallery will present a curated selection of works by contemporary Iranian artists Moslem Khezri (b. 1984), Abbas Nasle Shamloo (b. 1983), Hossein Mohammadi (b. 1993), and Mehdi Chitsazha (b. 1973) within the Special Projects section, Booth S26.

The exhibition brings together these four artists to form a layered portrait of contemporary life in Iran. Each speaks through a distinct visual language, yet they share an intense engagement with memory, identity, and the subtle tensions between presence and absence. Grounded in personal histories and landscapes yet resonating beyond local narratives, their works open onto universal experiences of belonging, loss, and transformation.

Moslem Khezri's acclaimed series "We Keep Reviewing" centers on scenes from Iranian all-boys schools-spaces that serve as both formative and restrictive environments. Through delicate figuration and nuanced atmospheres of light, Khezri examines how discipline, conformity, and friendship shape collective identity. His paintings transcend straightforward representation, instead revealing the complex social and emotional undercurrents embedded within everyday rituals of education. Exhibited widely across Iran and internationally-including at The Armory Show 2021 in New York, where SARAI Gallery received the Presents Booth Prize-Khezri's works are part of notable public and private collections in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Abbas Nasle Shamloo's depictions of nature evoke a perpetual sense of loss, loneliness, and alienation. His urban landscapes, quiet playgrounds, and somber scenery often feature minuscule solitary figures and wandering animals, seemingly destined to find no solace or shelter in either built or natural environments. Shamloo's visions are shaped by long observations and sometimes photography, yet he ultimately prefers to work from memory. His use of acrylics and ink, among other media, provides him with the immediacy and versatility needed to freely pour his imagination onto paper and canvas. He has showcased his artworks widely in Iran and abroad, including in Paris, Basel, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, New York, and Chicago.

Hossein Mohammadi reinterprets epic and historical narratives through imagined terrains that merge the symbolic with the tangible. Drawing inspiration from his hometown of Khorramabad, Mohammadi composes vast natural and cultural landscapes that invite reflection on Iran's layered mythological heritage. His practice balances theoretical depth with an intuitive painterly language.

Mehdi Chitsazha examines urban modernity through scenes of childhood and memory. His oil paintings often depict children and stray dogs wandering through winding streets-subtle metaphors for innocence within shifting social realities. With a background in literature and cinema, and experience in documentary filmmaking, Chitsazha's works blend narrative sensibility with visual precision. His art has been exhibited internationally, including at the National Museum of Fine Art (Kyrgyzstan) and the Modern Art Museum (Addis Ababa).

Through these four perspectives, SARAI Gallery's presentation embodies its enduring mission: to expand the visibility of Iranian contemporary art and to foster meaningful dialogue between local and global audiences.