A person who has a strong memory can hardly narrate events. Every narrative necessitates forgetting the details and distancing oneself from the original memory. A narrative takes over the event and recounts it in such a way that serves the narrative, transforming it into a general schema, but imbued with more meaning than what was experienced in reality.
- Moslem Khezri
Moslem Khezri (b. 1984, Iran) is a figurative artist currently working and living in Tehran. He holds an MA in painting from Tarbiat Modares University Tehran. He has had several solo and group shows at home and abroad and his works have been the subject of growing attention beyond his home country. Moslem has been represented by SARAI Gallery at top international art fairs including Art Dubai 2020-21, The Armory Show 2021, NY (where his booth won the Presents Booth Prize of the year), Asia Now 2021, ART BUSAN 2022, KIAF Seoul 2022, Expo Chicago 2023, and Abu Dhabi Art 2022-2023, among others. Moslem Khezri's work is now part of the Dubai Collection and Abu Dhabi royal family collection.
Moslem Khezri often explores the interaction between body and space. His previous series, We Keep Reviewing was the outcome of his painterly explorations of an Iranian all-boys educational environment where he - who is also an art teacher - captures a timeless aspect of life in an all-boys school with all its similarities and peculiarities. His works consist of subtly delivered paintings and drawings of sometimes empty but often populated scenes, with pale, winter light playing a key role almost like a central character. Beyond mere perfection in mimesis, Khezri aims to encapsulate the inner truth hidden within otherwise mundane moments, and thanks to his first-hand experience and keen observation of his chosen subjects, his images ultimately transcend time and location to become visual playfields for figures to interact with and transform their spaces. In his latest series called
In Between, Khezri focuses on immigration and immigrants, a phenomenon becoming increasingly common both in his home country and worldwide.
In Between, Khezri focuses on immigration and immigrants, a phenomenon becoming increasingly common both in his home country and worldwide.