ArtDayME: Mehdi Sahabi's photographs and paintings exhibition titled "Wall Allusions" curated by Saadat Afzood is being held at Mojdeh Art Gallery in Tehran.

Mehdi Sahabi was a painter, sculptor, photographer, writer, translator, and journalist. Sahabi was a multifaceted artist who was previously known for his translated books, but in recent years his artworks have gained attention. Mehdi Sahabi died of heart attack in November 2009 in Paris at 66.

Saadat Afzood, in the statement of this exhibition, which has a research style, wrote: "Examining Mehdi Sahabi's photos and paintings from the collection of "Graffiti" is a comparison based on the form and detached from the content between two collections. This connection can be examined both in terms of form and meaning, Sahabi in the paintings of the Graffiti collection by bringing the wall to the surface of the painting and by emphasizing on the object of the wall itself as a presence rather than a painting, has established a new insight in representation that introduces us thoroughly to his worldview.

Sahabi creates his personal actions by using the social image forms he recorded during the days of the 1979 revolution. The use of one by one visual elements included in the graffiti of the revolution by him in his paintings indicates the expansion of the community and city space into the space of painting.

Sahabi's actions, behind a subtle humor, challenge the serious content and start a kind of dialogue between Sahabi and himself, it can be said that the slogans become the artist's being arena and finally lead to a special appearance on the surface of the canvas, which for Sahabi is a space full of memory and connects the past to the present. In addition to the protest-social content of the format in the photos, he adds a kind of poetry and tenderness to his paintings and creates allusions in the content.

"Art is ultimately a metaphor or an allusion, and an intelligent view is a view that looks for a second language that can be found behind the apparent language." Mehdi Sahabi

"Wall Allusions" exhibition continues until May 10 and art enthusiasts can visit these works every day (except Saturdays) from 12:00 to 18:00.

See Siamak Zomorodi Motlagh's photos from this exhibition.