Cabinet de curiosités
A self-taught artist from Iran, Bahman learned to paint by studying the works of ancient masters. His unique style is influenced by esotericism, mysticism, Greek mythology, Christianity, and the relics of past civilizations. The leitmotivs of death and redemption pervade his work, such as in the paintings Death and the Maidens, The Adoration, and The Lovers. Carved metal, gold, fabric, feathers, and rhinestones reflecting light elevate them into dynamic, eye-catching masterpieces. Other paintings draw from cabinet de curiosités, popular from the sixteenth century to the end of the nineteenth century, in which portraits, taxidermied butterflies and birds of paradise, carved netsukes, and other small novelties were exhibited inside glass cases.
Bahman considers his style “an artistic melting pot” that follows no logic other than the final harmony of the painting. Though he is inspired by antiquity, Bahman regards each of his paintings as a new beginning.
—The Editors
