فارسیHamed Sadr Arhami (born 1981 in Isfahan) is a painter whose works fall within the realm of neo-surrealism, and his influence on Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte is evident. In some of his paintings, he uses elements of Iranian painting to create a link between tradition and modern art, which also brings him closer to neo-traditionalism.
His childhood during the war years was spent in fear, sirens, and shelters; an experience that shaped his interest in painting. Deep and contradictory questions also led him to philosophy. Arhami emphasizes that he does not place his works within the framework of a specific style and thinks more about expressing human content than seeking to prove himself in painting. He portrays this content using classical representation to show the lost glory of the human spirit. According to him, these works were created first and foremost for the “I” who is full of contradictions and indifferent to criticism and advice.
His professional career began in 2008 with his participation in Apadana Gallery and Art Expo in Tehran, and a year later he held his first solo exhibition at the Isfahan Artists’ House. So far, he has had more than 10 solo exhibitions and 50 group exhibitions in Tehran, Isfahan, Paris, Istanbul, and other cities around the world. He was the head of the Mehrfam painters’ group for a while and a member of the Image art group. In 2010, a documentary was made about his life and works, and in 2014, he participated in the “Neo-Centuries” exhibition at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Arts.
Stylistically, although his works have a dreamlike atmosphere and are close to surrealism, they are not connected to the intellectual foundations of this movement. Instead of exploring the individual unconscious, he deals with social and political issues. His frequent references to the Qajar era and its themes are symbolic of Iran’s historical and cultural problems;
As he says about women: “The women in my paintings are still in Qajar prison.” In terms of technique, his works are based on classical representation and pre-modernist methods, and the use of painting remains mostly on a formal level; therefore, the contrast between tradition and modernity in his works is more evident in the content than anything else.
He entered the art market in 2010 and the third Tehran auction. By 2021, he had participated in five domestic and international auctions, and all of his works had been sold. In March 2014, as the youngest artist at the 18th Christie’s auction, a work by him was sold for three times the initial estimate, for $37,500.
Her works are today kept in prestigious domestic and foreign collections, and some of them are housed in the Mortazavi Treasury Foundation.