Reza Derakshani boldly explores rhythms in his paintings, merging tradition with a contemporary spirit through striking compositions. His work often bears performative constructs that exude the artist’s passion for music and echoes homage to the richness of his Persian heritage. Derakshani skillfully contrasts sensations with the use of a pallet knife to convey the sense of motion and seen here in Fire Hunt, 2017, figures and horses depicted during a hunt emanate a fiery vibrancy with gestural tones set against the energetic red ground. His forms and technique unify aspects of abstraction and figuration adapted from both East and West, resulting in his own expressionistic style.


Hey, you the wild one.
Come to me, I have known you forever,
we are one.
you are lonely, I am a wonderer,
we are one,
And they are after you, to hunt you.
And to hunt me,
They hunt red,
They hunt blue,
They hunt gold,
They hunt yellow.
They hunt the day and they hunt the night.
They hunt the dawn.
-Reza Derakshani