SASAN MEFTAHI | AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

An Exclusive Interview With
SASAN MEFTAHI
BY JASMINE SUKARY

– I Fear Myself –

Meftahi Sasan, Born In 1975, Tehran, Iran. Meftahi graduated with honor from the Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran. He earned a B. A in Painting and an M.A. degree in Master of Arts and Visual and Performing Art. During the past years, Meftahi exhibited in several groups and solo exhibitions. In 2020 he was honored with a solo exhibition at “Persian Idea” Gallery, Tehran, Iran.

“I’ve got a stone in my hands, and there’s a crow in my mind! I fear myself. Painting is a treatment for my inner sicknesses. My childhood and adolescence era was passed with the tramp and bombard through the war.
It compassed me either with fear and anxiety through the lost youth, so I surely imported my (works) pictures.
Humans and the tragedies they caused were portrayed with an aggrieved personality full of fear and anxiety with sharp colors and expressive expression and steady scratch. They’re full of fears, anxiety inside me, and the society…”

Art Market: Thank you, Sasan. It’s a pleasure having an interview with you. I was very impressed with your Art.
I find it very intriguing and full of symbolism. Where this attraction to Art came from? Can you tell us about your background?

Sasan Meftahi: My interest in Art started to develop subconsciously in my childhood. Perhaps, the sense of visual imagery originated in me as soon as I began to perceive my surroundings. My interest may be rooted in my sensitivities to and fastidiousness about the world around me, which needed to be released in one way or another.
I started painting when I was 7, and my interest grew more and more as time went by. I painted from landscapes and my childhood cartoon characters to the portraits of the members of my family, and this went on until I was admitted to the Collage of Art and started my professional career.

A.M: It seems that your Art tries to reflect a human condition.
What are you trying to express through your Art? Is there a deeper meaning other than the interesting visual image?

S. M.: With a history of war, displacement, pain, fear, and tension in my childhood, my mind was always occupied by humankind and the disasters, pains, and sufferings that they caused themselves. After the war, these fears and tensions were clearly manifested in my paintings, and the pained, frail, stressed, and outcast human figures became the main subject of most of my paintings; such a helpless and grieved human that had not been able to regain their calm year after the war.

A.M.: You use very strong colors. It might be that these colorful expand the creation of a very emotional scene, what are these scenes?

S. M.: The colors in my paintings are rich and often pure.
I rarely use gray. In fact, the colors in my paintings are bright and decorative. However, the subjects and content of my works turn these colors into an expressive atmosphere of my inner pains and sufferings and engage the viewer in the stress, pain and grief expressed in my works.

A.M.: Describe the workflow, from the stage of the image in your mind to the final result.

S. M.: The subject of each collection of my works is the outcome of months of fieldwork. In fact, I engage myself in that very subject and live it just like a movie actor does. Then, I take photos of my subjects, focus on them, and without an etude, I start to paint on the canvas by touching on the figures and filtering them through my mind directly. In other words, I go from objectivity to subjectivity.

A.M: You are also a professional art teacher with the experience of years in the art field. What kind of pleasure or satisfaction do you receive from teaching, and what personal point of view and message do you try to pass to the new generation?

S. M.: Teaching brings me inner peace, and that is why I am always grateful to my students for being there. To me, teaching is repeating art assignments and exercises, and I hardly ever charge my students for it. I always show my students the path to becoming an artist rather than a painter since I believe these two are different things. I always emphasize that a student who does not surpass their teacher has not done a great job. Becoming an artist or a painter; that is what matters. An artist lives the life of an artist, and Art penetrates in all aspects of their existence. An artist is committed to themselves, their society, and to all that goes on in that society.

A.M.: From your experience in the art field in Iran, what suggestions and recommendations would you give to your students?

S. M.: Of course, Art is very restricted in my country. The artistic atmosphere in Iran is not encouraging, and this has made the circumstances very difficult for Iranian artists. However, the pressures, restrictions, hardship, and lack of sufficient facilities and possibilities stimulate innovation and create particular subjects in the mind of an artist.
I always advise my students to avoid complaining about the harsh conditions, and instead, try to take advantage of them to increase their meticulousness and sensitivity.

A.M.: How would you describe the life of an artist in Iran today?

S. M.: As I said earlier, Art and artists are not valued in Iran, and Iranian artists have tough times. Despite the difficulties, there are a few artists who pull themselves out and thrive. Unfortunately, exhibitions and galleries in Iran do not pursue true artistic goals, and the art mafia in Iran has blocked the way of true artists.

A.M.: Based on your teaching experience and awareness of the different artistic styles of your students, How would you describe the current most influential form of Art development in Iran in the past few years?

S. M.: Unfortunately, Iranian art students usually follow European and American artists and, in fact, are not in pursuit of the true artistic personality of their Art. They are mostly attracted to abstract art, of which they may not have a clear and proper perception. Nevertheless, I have always tried to base my teaching upon the principle that I should familiarize the artist with themselves and their inner self so that they can picture their personal Art.

A.M.: What is your earliest memory of Art or being creative?

S. M.: I remember I was eight, and for the school painting subject, I painted a picture of the Formula Two Racing, and the teacher severely beats me because he thought I had not painted it myself and made me do it again.

A.M.: How do you see your work developing?

S. M.: I love Art. To me, no concept is perceivable without Art. Every single moment and day, I see myself practicing and researching just like a student, and I always hope for a day when my works are perceived beyond the violence in them and when the world feels my pains.

A.M.: What the future holds? (Exhibitions / Art fairs / Auctions)

S. M.: For years, I refused to exhibit my works since I believed it would distance me from genuine Art and engage me in the mentalities of the gallery-owners. But now that I believe my artworks have come to personal stability, I am eager to exhibit them all over the world.

Read the Full Interview Article on Art Market Magazine Issue #48