Armin Alian

Armin Alian (b. 1993, Mashhad, Iran) received his BFA in Painting from the Tehran University of Art. he has held one solo show and participated in several group exhibitions. Alian lives and works in Tehran.


“A Place In-between”

Encountering nature is not only about what we can see with our eyes, but also about the history behind nature, and what is in our minds. Our contemporary images, connected to our history, have not made any challenging dialog in the world. They talk about everything. Their techniques have a European origin and their concepts have no actual meanings or any connection to Iranian society.

At the beginning of my recent project, I thought about the gap, which was between “seeing images through the eyes” and “picturing them in the mind.” In my artistic experience, I have always been trying to find a way to represent my identity and make a connection with widespread social or historical concepts of my country. In my latest series, “A Place In-Between,” I have used color pencil as my main technique. I use collages to represent separated objects that do not have any connection to the real world. Moreover, by adjusting surfaces with different materials, I am trying to disturb the perspective. I am creating landscapes, but I believe they are not talking about nature. I think my images have lost their history and reliability, for they do not belong to any specific geographical location. I use mountains, seas, and forests, as a story of my country and my life, although some of the elements are not coming from what I have seen with my eyes. These objects have lost their connection to their regions, similar to our culture and our lives.

Armin Alian, “I Won’t Believe It”, From “A Place In-Between” series, color pencil on cardboard, 50 x 42 cm, 2020
Armin Alian, “Discovered”, From “A Place In-Between” series, Collage, marker on cardboard, 50 x 42 cm, 2020
Armin Alian, “An Invitation”, From “A Place In-Between” series, collage, color pencil and marker on cardboard, 68 x 70 cm, 2020
Armin Alian, “You Promised Me”, From “A Place In-Between” series, collage, color pencil and marker on cardboard, 80 x 58 cm, 2020
Armin Alian, “Foreshock 04”, from “A Place In-Between” series, collage , color pencil and marker on cardboard, 80 x 110 cm, 2020
Armin Alian, “Episode 05” a group exhibition, installation view, 2020