Amir H. Fallah is an artist known for exploring portraiture and identity through his painting, murals, sculpture and installation. His personal narrative as an Iranian American, whose family fled Iran during the 1979 revolution, frames his work and his bid to explore what drives us as humans to shape who we are and how we exist. His esoteric portraits, where the physical characteristics of his subjects are often masked, hidden or generally absent, offer vignettes into their world; ornate with depicted objects and patterns. They are windows into society and current affairs. He uses historical and contemporary imagery and narratives, which he assimilates from a variety of global references from news channels to twitter; museum collections to fashion magazines. With this, Fallah mines the collective human visual culture to offer poetic insights into human discourse. The body of work that Denny Gallery will exhibit at Art Basel Hong Kong continues Amir H. Fallah’s investigations into his Iranian heritage and the new frontiers of his birth country with the movement of “Woman, Life, Freedom”. The five paintings - two portraits, two narrative works and a monumental painting, which he terms as one of his most important works to date - shine alight on human qualities such as bravery, suffering, defiance and desire. With these works, Fallah delves into a contemporary and historical visual culture with shared motifs such as dragons and whimsical scenic backgrounds, alongside more site specific imagery, offering new perspectives into this current human discourse.
For more insight into Amir H Fallah his work and practice, read our in depth interview with the artist.
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