The paintings of Hadi Alijani are the visual representation of his complex and intricate stories where nature, invention, and symbolism come together to form fantastic scenes by the ocean. His artwork is notable for his remarkable ability to combine the ordinary with the extraordinary, thus creating pieces that can not quite be classified as still life, landscape, or allegory. At a cursory inspection, the pictures might allure with their perfection of detail and shining surfaces, yet on a closer inspection, they expose a shifting logic where objects and figures abide in an ambiguous relationship, being off the beaten track of conventional reality.
One of the most crucial elements of Alijani’s art is the way he deals with the representation of the figure. In his works, instead of presenting the people in a straightforward manner, he creates the hybrid ones that have an appearance of a mixture of human and vegetative creatures standing there in place of humans: trees with human characteristics, skeletons, fish, shells, and roots that resemble characters from a story. A certain piece shows a ribcage, made lively with purple tendrils, that is suggestive of both plant and animal life, an entity living at the border between decay and regeneration. In another one, a giant leaf is ascending as if it were a central figure, the artist’s red roots spreading into that space like a human gesture with the heaviness of gravity. The figures depicted in these works are at odds with the idea of being simply objects; instead, they perform as main characters, imbued with will and affective power.
words: Yannis Kostarias
Alijani’s style is careful but flexible at the same time. His brushwork is a perfect combination of the detailed parts of the description—like the bones, the scales, and the fruits, which are all done in detail—and the less strict, more emotional parts, in which the roots and the branches are shown to be growing expansively on the canvas. With the observatory accuracy of detail combined with creativity and openness, the artist is allowed to effortlessly switch between that which is real and that which is imagined. The accuracy of his work, especially in what relates to the different textures of natural things, is what truly connects the spectator to the physical world, even if the general arrangement of the work is more towards the unreal.
Color was a major factor that greatly influenced the mood of his artwork. Alijani goes for a light and bright color scheme, that is mainly ruled by sea blues, sandy neutrals, and grassy greens colors and is occasionally broken with the small but vibrant areas of crimson, yellow, or orange. Their tonal selections not only fill the canvases with a scintillating clarity that hints at sun and fresh air but also create the colors and contrasts that Alijani uses to reinforce the surreal juxtapositions. Water and sky are present most of the time as backgrounds which, in a way, allow for the same clarity to coexist with the vastness of the strange and quiet horizons that deepen the mystery of the enigmantic presence of the objects.
Alijani’s work is replete with such seemingly disparate yet inextricably linked motifs – gourds, leaves, bones, fish fragments, and patterned textiles are just a few of the elements he continually returns to as subjects. In the manner in which these characters are the same actors that appear in different theatrical roles, these are the elements that create an oneness among his works by their reoccurrence. Their recurrence seems to reference an internal symbolic system, a visual vocabulary, through which Alijani silently tells layered narratives.
Your paintings often combine natural forms, such as fruits, roots, and plants, with surreal and symbolic arrangements. What draws you to this blend of still life and dreamlike imagery?
In my work, I have always looked at Iranian painting and the past visual history of my country. Especially in my recent series, I have been inspired by painters of the Qajar era, such as Kamal-ol-Molk and Mobarza Baba.
On the other hand, I have always been fascinated by the organic forms of fruits and vegetables in my childhood home in northern Iran. I was trying to portray my personal view of the space and place where I lived. Fruits and plants that were grown with minimal human intervention and chemical pesticides and fertilizers. These forms are a symbol of virginity and purity for me. In a way, they are my memory of that place and time.
In addition, juxtaposing Eastern and Western perspectives, such as two-dimensional and three- dimensional perspective and Eastern and Western shading and lightening, was fascinating to me, and I was trying to create a personal image of the fusion of these two visual traditions.
How would you define your work in a few words (ideally in 3 words)?
Representation of space and time.
Is there a particular story behind ‘The Mutilated Gaze’ (2024) painting?
The Mutilated Gaze is the name of a book by Dariush Shaygan, an Iranian-French philosopher. I have been influenced by his views in my last two collections. The title of the collection is “The Mutilated Gaze”; a look that results from the collision of two Eastern and Western perspectives in my mind. In this way, a seemingly imaginary and surreal space emerges, but it is neither completely Eastern nor completely Western. It is as if each work is my point of contact with these two perspectives. I am trying to reach a coherent and distinct whole by creating a “synthesis” (a third horizon of vision) from the two Eastern and Western perspectives. This synthesis, as a policy line or a solution, responds to my needs as an artist in relation to my place in the Iranian and global art scene.
In several of your pieces, fruits and vegetables seem almost alive, displaying gestures or movements that feel human. What role does anthropomorphism have in your exploration of imagery?
The main visual elements in these works are fish, sunflowers, cats, carpets, the sea, and amoeba-like creatures. In an allegorical sense, paintings are scenes of life for me; thus, the play between objects in the scene is the main pillar of these paintings. Each of these objects is an allegory of humans and their effects on society. For example, the organic skeleton that is present in nature is like a sculpture, and the cheetah skin is a human intervention in nature. In addition, I choose fruits and vegetables used by the middle class and ordinary people of society. Products used in everyday life and less considered. These products are mostly deformed and not very popular, often stained, rotten, and often removed from the market or left in the corner of agricultural fields or shops. I have often seen these forms in the farmlands and gardens of my childhood, and they have always delighted me. For me, these products and their forms are like memories of my homeland, and I try to connect these spaces with the world of painting through painting.
The layering of motifs, like fish, roots, shells, leaves, and fabrics, creates a tension between abundance and delicacy. What emotions do you hope your viewers experience as they explore this complex visual landscape?
In my works, curved, organic and rough forms are in harmony. I tried to portray the contrast between rough, delicate, soft and rough forms, textures and shapes. These spaces are often a retreat or a corner of a warehouse or a relatively abandoned building. For me, they are more of a painterly and aesthetic exploration. I am interested in discovering and creating formal connections between objects, textures, colors, and creating proportions and visual harmonies in a contemporary way. Which ultimately leads to the creation of a space full of suspense. Each of the objects is suspended in space and conveys a sense of ambiguity in relation to the space.
Some of your images suggest a subtle dialogue between human presence and absence, conveyed through traces of hands, fabric, or partially seen figures. How does the human body fit into your visual language, even when it’s indirect?
In my works, humans are not directly present, but their effects are always there. By depicting places and objects that are made by humans, such as the walls of a building or objects, I tried to depict this presence and interaction between humans and nature. In general, in my works, flowers, fruits, and vegetables reflect the effects of humans on them. These are not in very good condition; they are all withered and almost dried up. In some scenes, there is a wicker rug/ mat. the mat/ rug gives the scene a homely feel. And in addition, in the past, the lower classes of society used mats to cover the floor of the house. I used wicker mats to express the hardships and problems of people. Mats are uncomfortable to sit on because of their hard texture. But at the same time, in the contemporary era, mats have been very popular in the fashion and textile industries and have found contemporary applications. Showing and challenging this contradiction and opposition is very interesting to me. Sometimes humans contribute to the destruction of nature by leaving behind their garbage and belongings.
Your practice appears grounded in tradition—like still life and classical composition—while also exploring surreal and modern forms. How do you see your work fitting into this conversation between the past and the present?
Painting for me is a way of looking at the world around me. Through this, I create narratives and reactions to contemporary challenges and issues. These issues are sometimes socio-cultural and sometimes purely aesthetic. One of the key features of my work is my engagement with the issue of Iranian and Western aesthetics and its reflection in forms, colors, and compositions with reference to the shapes and rules of these two visual traditions. This is the same feature that guides my criteria of measurement and self- conscious behavior in painting. I chose still life for two reasons: first, it is a Western subject that has little history in the Iranian painting tradition. It is a genre that can focus on the visual study of objects and space. Another reason is the allegorical and symbolic aspect of still life, which is rooted in Iranian culture. In these works, the classical rules of three-dimensional (Western) perspective and two-dimensional (Iranian) perspective are challenged. The paintings are both two-dimensional and three-dimensional at the same time, a clear symbol of the eclecticism of Iranian (Eastern) and Western traditions.
What about the place where you work? What’s your studio space look like?
Currently, I live and work in Paris. I tried to bring together elements in my studio space that are reminiscent of Iran, especially my hometown. Actually, I arrange my work environment according to my projects. But at the same time, I am also receptive to the influences of the environment and the city of Paris, and I would like to maintain these two aspects of East and West in my workspace.
What are your plans for the near future?
In the future, I am trying to create deeper transformations in my personal space, considering the direct influences I receive from the international art space, so that I can express this personal and local world in an international language.
all images are courtesy of the artist