Mariam Nihal

Saudi Gazette

 

Farzad Kohan is an eminent Iranian artist known beyond just the Middle Eastern sphere. Born in Tehran in 1967, Kohan currently lives in Los Angeles. His residency with Ayyam gallery marked his entry into the gulf and welcomed the arrival of a creative genius that pours his soul into each masterpiece. “I am a mixed media artist and I have been making art as long as I can remember, I do street photography, sculpture, drawings and paintings but my focus is on painting. As far as where I am headed this year, I have been working on a new series and am very busy with the new works. They are very exciting,” Kohan told Saudi Gazette.



His bold strokes complement solid colors and suggest connotations expressed in Farsi. Now a trademark, Kohan’s paintings involve visual and philosophical views with context in a line against beautiful and valiant painted backgrounds on a canvas. “I think everything is important but I have a hard time comparing them (words with colors). Painters use everything around them to make a painting and words are just one of them.”



With his first series ‘The Passage of Time’ marking his solo exhibition with Ayyam gallery, Kohan debuted with much-deserved success and recognition. “It was a very important show, it marked my first solo exhibition with Ayyam gallery and was also the first time the series was shown. It was almost 2 years in the making so a lot of work went into that show and the results were magnificent.”



He said Ayyam created a huge opportunity for his work. “It is always the art that makes the bridge between the artists and galleries.”



Discussing the role an artist plays in a society such as Iran, he said: “Artists are thinkers and they are the ones pushing the limits and boundaries, this is in any society and Iran is no exception. You have to keep in mind that artists come from different backgrounds and the reason they make art is different so not everybody fits that category of pushing the boundaries. I guess it has to do with what is important to you as an artist and how you decide to express it.”



Kohan believes the process of work itself is a seminal experience. “It is only through working that you get new ideas and the more you get involved in that process, the more possibilities will arise.”



Kohan identifies with many genres of art but is focused on growing through learning different mediums. “I am interested in variety of styles, also my own taste changes throughout the times as I learn more and understand more but I am always looking, from museum walls to street art, they all have something to say.”



Unlike many artists, he does not have a favorite piece. “I am interested in many different styles as long as my eyes catch many different things.”



His advice to aspiring artists from the Middle East: “Do not leave your studio, stay in tuned and work: that is the only way.” For those complaining about the lack of inspiration to get the job done, we ask Kohan about his source of enlightenment. He said: “No Inspiration, just get back to work and get it done.” If that does not set him apart, then what does?



Talking about his dream projects, he said: “I have a few dream projects, but working with children and providing a space for them to be able to create art is one of the top ones.



Arab artists are coming up with fantastic works and I am excited that I can witness it, I guess we all have to wait and see what the future brings but it is nothing but fantastic.”



Identity and Migration are the center of my works, even when I talk about love stories, these are love stories that are happening or happened outside of motherland, so living in diaspora and it’s consequences is something you can see frequently in my works.