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Almine Rech

Mehdi Ghadyanloo

Mehdi Ghadyanloo lives and works in Germany.
After growing up near the agricultural fields in the suburbs of Tehran, Ghady-anloo studied at Tehran University’s College of Fine Arts and graduated with a BA in 2005. Subsequently, he earned an MA in film studies from Tehran’s Teachers College (Tarbiyat-e Modarres).

Known primarily for his gigantic trompe l’oeil-style murals in central Tehran, Ghadyanloo also creates paintings, with surreal and minimalistic themes. He provides an autobiographical perspec-tive, portraying the landscapes of his youth, his memories of Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), and his life experience in the Islamic Republic. Although at times sombre and even suggestive of a failed utopia, Ghadyanloo’s work conveys hope that change can be effected, and it speaks with joy of what remains glorious in gloomy times. Mehdi Ghadyanloo is also considered one of Middle East’s leading public artists.
Between 2004 and 2011, he painted over 100 gigantic murals throughout Iran’s capital,to elevate the visual quality of life in Tehran to bring hope and color to the Grey, depressed city of Tehran. In 2016 he became the first Iranian artist to be commissioned in both Iran and the US since the revolution in 1979, when he completed a massive mural for the Rose Kennedy Greenway project in Boston, US.

“Mehdi Ghadyanloo uses the trompe l’œil technique of his murals to compose his recent paintings, and they take on the shape of square boxes with dream-like imagery and hyperrealistic technique. Their architectural appearance reflects the artist’s investigation into designing and representing space on the canvas, evoking the visual and metaphysical constructions of Giorgio de Chirico. Ghadyanloo’s meticulous technique reminds us that in his youth he painted Persian miniatures in Iran. Each of his painting-boxes reveals his bril-liant ability to trick our eyes and our perception of reality. On what we thought was a flat surface, there appears a fenced-in space or a maze of slides.”

— Martha Kirszenbaum

Selected artworks

  • Mehdi Ghadyanloo, The king's twin brother, 2023

    Mehdi Ghadyanloo The king's twin brother, 2023

    Acrylic and oil on canvas
    235 x 120 x 5 cm
    92 1/2 x 47 x 2 in

  • Mehdi Ghadyanloo, The dancing goddess, 2023

    Mehdi Ghadyanloo The dancing goddess, 2023

    Acrylic and oil on canvas
    235 x 130 x 5 cm
    92 1/2 x 51 x 2 in

  • Mehdi Ghadyanloo, The Glass Blossom, 2022

    Mehdi Ghadyanloo The Glass Blossom, 2022

    Acrylic and oil on canvas
    140 x 140 x 5 cm
    55 x 55 x 2 in

  • Mehdi Ghadyanloo, The untold story , 2022

    Mehdi Ghadyanloo The untold story , 2022

    Acrylic and oil on canvas

    200 x 290 x 5 cm
    78 1/2 x 114 x 2 in

  • Mehdi Ghadyanloo, the god of rainbows, 2022

    Mehdi Ghadyanloo the god of rainbows, 2022

    Acrylic and oil on canvas

    180 x 130 x 5 cm
    71 x 51 x 2 in

  • Mehdi Ghadyanloo, The Uninvited, 2021

    Mehdi Ghadyanloo The Uninvited, 2021

    Watercolor on paper
    45 x 25 cm
    17 1/2 x 10 in

  • Mehdi Ghadyanloo, The Dancing Bride, 2020-2021

    Mehdi Ghadyanloo The Dancing Bride, 2020-2021

    Oil and acrylic on canvas
    235 x 130 cm
    92 1/2 x 51 1/8 in

  • Mehdi Ghadyanloo, The Lost Paradise, 2020

    Mehdi Ghadyanloo The Lost Paradise, 2020

    Acrylic on canvas
    200 x 200 cm
    78 3/4 x 78 3/4 in

  • Mehdi Ghadyanloo, Sleeping Beauty, 2020

    Mehdi Ghadyanloo Sleeping Beauty, 2020

    Watercolor on paper
    57 x 42 x 3.5 cm (framed)
    22 1/2 x 16 1/2 x 1 3/8 in (framed)
    40 x 25 cm (unframed)
    15 3/4 x 9 7/8 in (unframed)

  • Mehdi Ghadyanloo, The Hope Monument, 2019

    Mehdi Ghadyanloo The Hope Monument, 2019

    Oil on canvas
    170 x 90 cm
    66 7/8 x 35 3/8 in

Gallery exhibitions

Museum exhibitions

Selected press