Mohammad Hassanzadeh

Mohammad Hassanzadeh’s (b. 1979 Gachsaran, Iran) work, rooted in the unique geological and historical narrative of Gachsaran—a city deeply shaped by the oil industry—where he lives and works, presents an intimate dialogue with a landscape shaped through cycles of change, extraction and reclamation. His meticulous charcoal drawings reveal the layered histories of colonial intervention, industrial exploitation and personal introspection, engaging with the complex interplay between permanence and impermanence as is evident in his “Oil: Height of Depth” collection, which was exhibited at Argo Factory—Tehran's first independent contemporary art museum.
His work explores the intersection of history, politics and nature, drawing from natural science methodologies such as observation, empiricism and experimentation. His artistic practice examines the environmental and socio-political consequences of industrialization, particularly oil extraction, through a combination of drawing, printing, photography and found objects. 
His works on paper—executed in ink, charcoal and crude oil—reflect the geological and historical layers of his surroundings. Juxtaposing crude oil with the ephemeral nature of charcoal establishes a dialogue between deep geological time and human intervention.
This material contrast underscores the tension between permanence and impermanence, a theme echoed in his hyper-detailed renderings of landscapes that have undergone immense physical and economic shifts. Through close-up, highly detailed depictions, he explores what remains and what disappears, drawing attention to the land as a palimpsest of exploitation and endurance.
In addition to his works on paper, his photography serves as a form of documentation, capturing tools and artifacts related to oil extraction. These images and objects construct a visual narrative of labor, transformation and environmental degradation. 
Through this multidisciplinary approach, Hassanzadeh re-examines his context, merging his physical and mental experience with the landscape that surrounds him. 

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