SPAZIO NOUR
Mahmoud Saleh Mohammadi (b. 1979) is an Iranian artist from Teheran.
He started his artistic career in his homeland, studying as a painter at the Art University in Tehran and he continued his education at Brera Fine Arts Academy in Italy, graduating in Visual Arts.
He is currently based both in Milan and Antwerp.
© Mau Chi
Mahmoud Saleh Mohammadi is an originally Iranian artist, born in 1979. He began his artistic career in Iran, studied painting at the Art University in Tehran, and continued his studies at the Brera Academy in Milan, Italy, where he graduated in Fine Arts in 2017. Mahmoud Saleh Mohammadi has garnered international acclaim, exhibiting his works in prestigious galleries and exhibitions in Italy, Finland, Belgium, Kuwait and Iran, and adding several interdisciplinary projects and symposia worldwide to his palmaris.
In his works, he combines the focus, uniformity, and tradition of the (Middle-)East with the Western ideals of creative expression. In many of his pieces, Saleh Mohammadi juxtaposes iconography from Persia to explore the histories of Iran, Italy, Japan, and other countries of his encounter. He draws his inspiration from antique Persian carpets, which propelled him to delve into the artistic traditions of Japan, where he discovered inspiration in the aesthetic principles of wabi-sabi and kintsugi. By harmonizing the timeless grace of Japanese minimalism with the opulence of Persian motifs, he cultivated an artistic lexicon that transcends temporal and geographical confines.
Through his paintings, he navigates the realms of figuration and abstraction, crafting works that resonate with emotion and symbolism. Saleh Mohammadi applies a loose idea of figuration – anything that suggests a form, even if this suggestion is faint. What’s interesting are the infinite ways paint can be applied, and canvas, textile and carpet can be used to develop balanced compositions, based on contemporary research to generate new patterns and designs. He layers and confronts complex ideas with material processes that he discovers along the way, which results in exciting surface quality and (conceptual) depth.
Saleh Mohammadi’s palette is inherited from that of ancient carpets, conveying a sense of cohesion. With a palette of reds, gold, whites and blues, he turns his works into symbologies, valuing the experimentation and invention that the combination of figure and abstraction allows. What seems to be effortless is actually a process of masking off entire areas, loading and reloading the brush multiple times, redoing the mark countless more times to achieve the one he thinks is most successful, to capture something that feels improbable. A process that can be slow or quick.
Beyond paintings, his artistic practice also consists of (site-specific) installations and performances. His vision continues to push the boundaries of his own art, urging spectators to look beneath the surface and uncover the essence of materials, colors, and cultural intersections.
His art radiates a profound sense of interconnectedness, transcending the constraints of cultural boundaries. Themes of mindfulness and the transient nature of humankind form the thread through his creations, inciting introspection and contemplation among viewers of diverse backgrounds. In essence, Mahmoud Saleh Mohammadi's art serves as an enduring bridge between cultures, extending an invitation to audiences to journey into the depths of history, the present, and the future through the transformative power of creativity. With every painting, installation, and performance, he leaves an indelible imprint on the canvas of the human experience.
Commissioned site-specific installation 'Parallel Universe' for KULeuven 600th anniversary
Group exhibition 'Parallax: Memories Shape the Future', Hollands College, Leuven, Belgium
ELIA Biennial Conference NABA Milano, Italy
Group exhibition Duffel, Belgium
Second solo exhibition Kunstkeuken Valkenswaardt, The Netherlands
Group exhibition Atelier Devka, Berchem, Belgium
Auction BAIAS Brescia, Italy
Group exhibition BAIAS Brescia, Italy
Group exhibition (un)fair Milano, Italy
Solo exhibition Van Caster showroom Bonheiden, Belgium
Group exhibition de Zomer van Wechel, Castle Hof d'Intere, Antwerp
Participating artist in ISEAS (International Socially Engaged Art Symposium), Lapua
Solo exhibition (un)fair Art Fair, Milan, Superstudio Maxi Milano
Performance "Ode aan de Primavera" Art Studio Catherine Rochtus KANAAL Wijnegem
Group Exhibition "Artists on visit x Designers on visit x Ronald van der Hilst House of Tulips, Antwerp
Group Exhibition "Redirected 4x4", Godshuis Cornelis Lantschot, Antwerp
Other size gallery "Performance With Art Should Eat", Milan
Participant artist in "Walk-in Studio Festival", Milan
Group Exhibition "38TH", Dilmos, Milan
Group Exhibition "Light Chain", Spazio Nour, Milan
Group Exhibition "Independently together", Superstudio, Milan
Group Exhibition "Shackless", Den Gallery, Kuwait City
Finalist artist at Premio Arte 2018 (Cairo Editore), Palazzo Reale, Milan
Group Exhibition "Persian Contemporary Calligraphy" with Iranian artist and calligrapher Amir Shahrokh Faryoosefi, Spazio Nour, Milan
Artistic direction of "Travel faraway at home" project for "Pocket History", Amsterdam and Milan
Performance #04 "Chissà" Nhow Milano, Milan
Solo Exhibition "I did it! (Hanging gardens)", Nhow Milano, Milan
Participant artist in ISEAS (International Socially Engaged Art Symposium), Raseborg
Professor Assistant and Project Manager of "Se ci fosse?" (workshop for "Social Design course", addressed to international students), NABA, Milan
Collaborator and Artistic Promoter at Fondazione Empatia, Milan
Performance #05 and Solo Exhibition “Bar B”, Mudec, Milan
Installation “Bagliore”, in collaboration with Sbodio 32 for Milan Design Week, Milan
Performance #06 “I’m sorry”, in collaboration with Sbodio 32, Milan
Solo Exhibition "Time and Temple", NonostanteMarras Showroom, Milan
Performance #04 "Chissà", NonostanteMarras Showroom, Milan
Murales project "Art as therapy" for Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Milan
Group Exhibition “Contemporary Evening Nour”, Spazio Nour, Milan
Performance #02 “The First Supper”, Spazio Nour, Milan
Installation “Touch With Eyes”, in collaboration with Antonio Marras for Milan Fashion Week, Milan
Performance #03 “Trust”, in collaboration with Fastweb for Thinking HUB, Milan
Installation and Solo Exhibition “Nuova Terra”, NonostanteMarras Showroom, Milan
Performance #04 “Chissà”, NonostanteMarras Showroom, Milan
Solo Exhibition "Occhi che toccano", Fabbrica Del Vapore, Milan
Foundation of "Spazio Nour" cultural centre, Milan
Performance #01 "The Last Supper", Gallery East, Tehran
Workshop in collaboration with Milan and Krakow Fine Arts Academies, curated by Prof. Pier Luigi Buglioni, Zakopane
Group Exhibition “Take a walk on my culture”, Spazio Nour, Milan
Performance #00, Spazio Nour, Milan
Performance #01 "The Last Supper”, Chiostri di San Barnaba, Milan
Performance “Le parole hanno forza”, Spazio Tadini, Milan
Performance #01 “The Last Supper”, Spazio Nour, Milan
Solo Exhibition ”Incisioni e Linoleumgrafia”, Spazio Nour, Milan
Solo Exhibition ”Ricordi”, Palazzo Reale, Milan
Japanese Calligraphy Workshop with Hiroyuki Nakajima, Nobili Gallery, Milan
Workshop in collaboration with Milan and Krakow Fine Arts Academies, curated by Prof. Pier Luigi Buglioni, Krakow
Group Exhibition “Codice Osservatorio 6″ curated by Italo Bressan, Ignazio Gadaleta e Franco Marrocco, Chiostro di Voltorre, Varese
Workshop and Group Exhibition ”Grafica in Opera” curated by Matteo Giannini, Villa Gori, Massarossa
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