Opening on 9 March 2016 in London’s Mayfair, Sophia Contemporary's inaugural exhibition showcases several major series of ongoing and new paintings by the artist Reza Derakshani, one of the most celebrated living Iranian artists. 

 

Derakshani will present new works from a number of ongoing series, including the 'Hunting', 'Pomegranate' and 'Garden Party' series among others, as well as paintings from the new 'Calligraphy' and 'Blue' series, which have never previously been exhibited. Whilst Derakshani’s practice is grounded in Iranian artistic traditions, his dynamic brushstrokes reveal the influence of the textured surfaces from Western abstract art movements. The fusion of Eastern artistic traditions and contemporary art movements from the West create an idiosyncratic oeuvre at the confluence of civilizations.  

 

The Breeze at Dawn will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue with a foreword written by Norman Rosenthal, independent curator and former Exhibition Secretary of the Royal Academy of Arts.