Press Release
O Gallery presents “Symposium”, Aria Tehrani’s (b. 2002 Tehran) first solo exhibition.
The collection on display is the result of four years of continuous painting in pursuit of a personal form, culminating in works primarily in watercolor and pastel. A devotee of classical painting, Tehrani favors the tranquility of deliberate choice in the drawing process over expressive approaches.
His artistic journey began with portraiture and still life, as is common in learning to draw, but his approach was shaped by the ever-present landscape of his room. Through the repeated act of painting the same view, he developed an aesthetic rooted in the search for truth in his life. In parallel, he experimented through trial and error, allowing certain elements to emerge in his work when their repetition proved meaningful. Over time, the interplay between simple and complex forms, combined with the ambiguity of faded shapes, gradually defined this series, reflecting an engagement with memory, perception and the passage of time.
Rather than conveying explicit messages, Tehrani’s paintings embody personal experiences, offering a contemplative space for viewers. He sees human beings as possessing a highly intelligent cognitive system, one that processes and expresses itself through the accumulation of perceived experiences—experiences that, while deeply personal, resonate on a universal level. He describes his work as a fusion of artistic freedom and the careful balance between pure abstraction and visual identity.