Shaho Babaie

Shaho Babaie

December 27 2024 - January 7 2025

Press Release

O Gallery is pleased to showcase a new collection of paintings by Shaho Babaie (b. 1979 Marivan), an artist whose work bridges the individual and shared human experiences through expressive interpretations of nature. 

The collection on display draws on Babaie’s memories of certain landscapes, particularly reed beds that Babaie recalls observing during his adolescence and early adulthood.
Over the past year, his attentive observation of landscapes, forms, and details has deepened his understanding of their visual atmosphere. While the artist devotes significant attention to recognizable forms and intricate details, his creative process begins with a vague image, without preliminary sketches, and evolves organically into the final composition. Utilizing layers of oil paint—his medium of choice for its contemplative quality—Babaie refines the visual characteristics of his works, allowing them to follow a natural developmental course.
The presence of humanity is subtly suggested through delicate visual metaphors in these paintings. For instance, a solitary boat amid reeds, set against the serene stillness of a wintry lake, conveys a sense of lethargy and melancholy.
Babaie describes his works as an exploration of balance between reality and imagination, crafting a delicate emotional connection between the two through his evocative expression.