The Lost Garden

Landscape painting is humanity’s longing for a world that is not currently at hand. Be it the Garden of Eden, a hometown where one spent their childhood, or a simple road denied to an individual confined by quarantine.

However, the works gathered in “The Lost Garden” exhibition, featuring artists from three different generations, possess an underlying layer of mystery and enigma beyond the dominant characteristic of landscape. In these pieces—many of which are no longer landscape painting in the conventional sense—the artists have clearly put forth a metaphorical aspect. This metaphor is relevant to the past and present of the Iranian human.

From a formal perspective, hidden and overt references to the history of Iranian art and culture have also influenced the selection of works. These various references can be found in the palette, the drawing style, the presence of light, the design, or the composition. These are diverse and varied interpretations of our shared artistic capital. This very capital is what has also drawn the artists, on the level of meaning, toward mystical and allegorical narration.

Saeed Babavand | November 2024