The Saatchi Gallery is to present a major new exhibition showcasing the work of French-Iranian artist Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar.
On display at the gallery from the 15th May, Oneness Wholeness will be Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar’s first UK exhibition since The Real Me, his debut in London in 2014.
As one of the first artists to showcase Iran through eastern eyes and to challenge the negative constructs of the western gaze, Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar’s practice aims to change the perceptions and cemented beliefs about Iran and Iranians that persist in the West.
By exploring his Persian heritage and his dedicated practice of Kundalini meditation, the artist through his work examines ideas around existentialism, human compassion and wellbeing.
This exhibition draws on thousands of years of Iranian culture, weaving ancient Persian motifs, patterns and landscapes into large-scale mixed media paintings, to explore Iranian identity in the 21st century. The Oneness Wholeness series features new, previously unseen work that Sassan has been developing for the last few years.
Sassan was born during the middle of the Iran-Iraq war in the Parisian suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1984. Sassan lived in Paris for most of his childhood, spending much of his spare time visiting the city’s many art galleries, before moving to Tehran at the age of ten. Sassan began making work in 2009 and has since exhibited internationally.
Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar: Oneness Wholeness will be on display at the Saatchi Gallery from the 15th to the 27th May. For more information visit: http://www.saatchigallery.com/art/sassanbehnam-bakhtiar.php