Nazanin Pouyandeh's women are free
About the exhibition “Nazanin Pouyandeh, désobéissantes”, visible until November 9, 2024 at the Fondation GGL, Hôtel Richer de Belleval in Montpellier (34).
The female figures of Nazanin Pouyandeh radiate with all their strength and power in the exhibition dedicated to the painter at the Fondation GGL, in Montpellier, “Nazanin Pouyandeh, désobéissantes”. An exhibition that brings together around ten years of practice with a selection of recent paintings interspersed with a few older works of art, to which is added an impressive mural painted in a few days in situ. “Désobéissantes is the expression of a wild freedom, of bodies and emotions freed from the constraints imposed on us by society, its rules, its taboos”, writes Amélie Amado in the September issue of L’Oeil. "A way to pay tribute to Iranian women who defend their rights and are ready to die for their fight."
For the French painter of Iranian origin, recognized for her unique approach to figurative painting, which explores both intimate and universal themes through a fusion of cultural and artistic influences, art is a space for reflection, in which she questions not only the myths and stories that shape cultures, but also the tensions and contradictions of our contemporary era. Nazanin Pouyandeh's artworks for sale question the viewer on themes such as memory, identity and cultural coexistence, while offering a fascinating visual exploration of the human condition
Born in 1981 in Tehran, Iran, Nazanin Pouyandeh grew up in a context marked by the Iranian revolution and the Iran-Iraq war. At a very young age, she became interested in art, influenced by both traditional Persian culture and the Western artistic elements that she gradually discovered. In 1998, at the age of 17, Nazanin Pouyandeh emigrated to France, where she continued her art studies. She joined the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where she trained in painting, drawing and composition, while being influenced by classical European art and the old masters. Often, the works for which she had her friends pose or represented herself are dreamlike scenes, where characters evolve in strange landscapes, between reality and imagination, creating a tension between the familiar and the unknown. In fact, Pouyandeh draws inspiration from mythological stories, personal stories and historical events to compose scenes where human beings, often anonymous, confront ambiguous situations. She paints with a meticulousness that recalls classical traditions, but she breathes modernity into the themes addressed, notably through the representation of characters with multiple cultural origins.
Nazanin Pouyandeh's work is of course deeply marked by her dual culture. She draws on Persian culture, notably in miniatures and epic tales, while drawing inspiration from major Western artistic movements, such as Renaissance painting and contemporary art. This fusion of influences gives rise to compositions where Eastern and Western traditions intermingle, creating a dialogue between the past and the present. Her paintings also integrate symbolic elements. Animals, exotic plants, motifs from Persian iconography or contemporary elements are found in her works, inviting the viewer to decipher the multiple meanings of each painting. This visual and narrative complexity gives her work a depth that encourages contemplation and interpretation.
As the journalist from L’Oeil writes, “transforming reality through a dreamlike reconstruction, the Iranian artist has become a master in the art of staging. Starting from tableaux vivants, where the sets, the models, their clothes and their poses are harmoniously organized, her painting transforms reality into loaded dreamlike recompositions. Whether it is the proliferation of hybridized and nested motifs like tattoos, contrasts in the ways of painting or modifying scales, she manipulates hybridizations and plays with semantic complexities. Her painting draws its strength from an omnipresent tension. On one side, the tragic, the raw, the brutal. On the other, the joy of colors, the seduction of patterns or fabrics with meticulous renderings, the smooth beauty of naked and young bodies.”
Through her journey of exile and integration in France, Nazanin Pouyandeh explores questions related to identity, uprooting and collective memory. Her works can be read as a personal quest, where she questions her own cultural heritage and her experience as a migrant, while questioning universal issues such as the notion of belonging and the clash of civilizations.
Nazanin Pouyandeh was recognized in the contemporary art world as soon as she left the École des Beaux Arts. Her ability to handle complex narratives while maintaining a rigorous technique has made her a respected artist, appreciated both for the narrative richness of her works and for their singular aesthetic. She exhibits her paintings in France and internationally, sells her works of art in prestigious art galleries and at major art fairs, and is also included in public and private collections. Her paintings generally sell for between 5,000 and 50,000 euros on the art market, depending on their format, complexity and period of creation.
If Nazanin Pouyandeh paints feministically, it seems that she does not do it on purpose. It is quite naturally, instinctively, that she paints heroines who are overwhelmingly female. Like a surge of life, a response to her own flaws. The director of the Templon art gallery explains it this way: “Nazanin Pouyandeh has established an original language that belongs to her and whose profoundly feminist scope partly escapes her. Her painting naturally frees itself from the male gaze. Her female characters reveal themselves without complexes, without any other eroticism than that of feeling beautiful and in control of themselves. We cannot ignore her personal history – her exile – and the current context in Iran. For me, the way she reveals women is a strong response to all those who would like to veil us, hide us, dictate to us how we should dress or not. It is a work of resistance through art.
Article written by Valibri en Roulotte