Hojat Amani - EMERGEAST
Account Wishlist Cart
search icon
Artworks Artists Exhibitions NFT About Blog Press Contact

Hojat Amani
b. 1978, Iran

“The success of the traditional artist comes when people can approach his art and find grace, pleasure and peace in it."

Hojat Amani, is a multi-disciplinary artist involved in photography, painting, and calligraphy. Raised in a traditional family, Amani was familiarised with traditional art, and began as a calligrapher from a young age. Wanting to move away from traditional forms of art, Amani left home in search of contemporary methods of expression. His goal was to give viewers a cathartic purification and a promise of freedom from the difficulties of contemporary life. He believes art represents beauty and has a much deeper purpose than that of just a material or financial purchase and therefore uses his art as a way of recreating his imagination. Although Amani has experienced the hardships which are a result of war, he specifically chooses not to focus on it in his work. He prefers to create beautiful images, intending to provide some form of relief and escapism from the harsh realities of many of his countrymen. The artist holds degrees from the University of Art in Tehran as well as Isfahan. Amani’s work has been exhibited throughout Tehran, as well as in solo and group exhibitions in Europe, Canada, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Amani has participated in art residencies in London and Lithuania.

Read more

Credentials

+
Works in permanent collection of the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar
2019 'Common imagination', Fereshteh gallery Tehran, Iran
2012 Solo exhibition Paradise, Environmental photo, Day Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran

Series Statement

+

Cheeky face

Body of work based on, and inspired by Persian miniatures from the Safavid (1501 – 1736) epochs. Our miniature influenced by Eastern culture, especially China through the Silk Road. As in the original miniature paintings, my subjects are reflective of the prevailing aesthetics – male and female – of their respective eras. The ‘cheeky’ Safavids– as me refers to them – with their long, flowing robes, ornate headdresses, amorous glances, and languid poses bring to mind both the fabled lovers of Persian lore, and the splendour of Safavid Persia at its zenith. With playful and symbolic use of colour and choice of subjects, marks the stark contrast between the eras in Iranian history. Employing a Warhol-esque pop-art approach, I uses bright, vibrant colours to bring to life the opulence, languor, and grandeur of Safavid Isfahan, whereas in the case of Miniature portraits opts for darker, murkier, and richer tones, which effectively provide the viewer with a glimpse into the pitiful days of a decadent and degenerate society on the verge of cultural revolution. Going beyond a modern depiction of these dynasties, however, I try to provides a reflection of contemporary Iran in the 21st Century. Inspired by the West, and ravenously consuming its pop culture in every shape and form, traditional Iranian mores, customs, and Daubed in bright, neon colours, and looking every part the Persian pinup, I try to portraits cause one to reflect on the current degradation of Iran’s heritage among the young generation, and leave them wondering about the cultural trajectory of a generation undeniably rooted in the East, yet ever looking Westwards.


CV

+
Education

2015-2020- PhD, Comparative and Analytical Islamic art History (Middle East) Tehran, Iran
2006-2008 – MA, Art Research, University of Art, Tehran, Iran
2001-2004 – BA, Painting, University of Art, Isfahan, Iran
1998-2001 - Diploma in Fine Art, School of Higher Education, Isfahan, Iran
1997-2003-Diploma in Persian Calligraphy Society, Isfahan, Iran,


Solo Exhibitions

2019 'Common imagination', Fereshteh gallery Tehran, Iran
2016 STILL LIFE, Negah art gallery, Tehran, Iran
2013 'Between traditional & modern', Haleh art gallery, Germany
2013 Shirin Art gallery, Tehran, Iran
2012 Paradise, Environmental photo, Day Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2008 Solo Drawing Exhibitions, Iranian Academy of Art, Tehran, Iran
2007 Solo Drawing Exhibitions, Kosar gallery, Isfahan, Iran


Group Exhibitions

2019 Reprise, art show, Saya complex, Tehran, Iran
2019 'Still life', Art Land gallery, Tehran, Iran
2018 'The first transition', Gozar art gallery, Isfahan, Iran
2016 New painting, The egg art gallery, New Delhi, India
2016 Fine art gallery, Dubai, UAE
2015 Qajariat, museum Islamic art MIA, Doha, Qatar
2015 Afghan, Pakistan and Iranian Calligraphy, Chawkhandi Gallery, Karachi, Pakistan
2015 Image of Women in Iranian Contemporary Art, ACCE Art, Yerevan, Armenia
2015 Art in secret Mawaheb from Beautiful People, Showcase Gallery, Dubai, UAE
2015 4th generation contemporary Iranian art works, Laleh Art gallery, Tehran, Iran
2014 Scope Basel Art fair 2014, Switzerland
2014 'Displacement Anxieties', Chawkhandi Gallery, Karachi, Pakistan
2014 'Naqayesh4', Negah art gallery, Tehran, Iran
2014 7seen Haleh art gallery, Munich, Germany
2014 'Making History', 3th Colombo Art Biennial. Colombo, Sri Lanka
2014 3th Art expo of several generations of Iranian contemporary artists, Laleh Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2014 Annual Painting Exhibition, Henna Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2013 Monaco Art show
2013 Monte Carlo
2012 From Tehran, Scope Miami, Florida , USA
2012 Requiem, 2nd Kathmandu International Art Festival, Kathmandu, Nepal
2012 Reprise,curated Lithuanian Artist, Iranian Academy of Art, Tehran, Iran
2012 Train to Tehran, Opera Holland Park, London, UK
2012 2nd Iranian Photography Expo, Iranian Academy of Art, Tehran, Iran
2012 The Asia House Fair, London, UK
2011 “3 worlds in 1”, Klaipeda Culture Communication Centre Exhibition Hall Curate by Edward Lucie Smith, Klaipeda, Lithuania
2011 Persian Calligraphy, Workshop, Baroti art Gallery, Klaipeda, Lithuania
2011 SHORTLISTED ARTISTS, Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize, London, UK Magic of Persia, MOP CAP
2011 Shortlist Exhibition Contemporary Art Prize, Traffic
2010 Concerning Angels, Janet Rady Fine Art, London, UK Angels dream, Installation, Athena video art festival, Athens, Greece
2009 Iranian Innovative painters, Iranian Academy of Art, Tehran, Iran
2008 Recycle Art, Iranian Environmental Artist, Laleh Studio, Tehran, Iran
2008 Individual Drawing Exhibitions, Iranian Academy of Art, Tehran, Iran
2008 Calligraphy Masters, Iranian Academy of Art, Tehran, Iran
2008 Iranian Photography Expo, Iranian Academy of Art, Tehran, Iran


Art Residencies

2014 Pakistan, Karachi
2012 Nepal, Kathmandu
2011 Artistic stay in Lithuania with the support of the Lithuanian Communication and Culture Center
2010 London, UK