Entitled Lal Dahlias, this
collection of mixed media portraits of dahlia flowers sees
Ave emerging from a short spell of artistic stasis, a blank
period earlier this year that he describes simply, as an artistic
block. ‘Nothing comes', says Ave. ‘But the best thing to do
is see stuff that is going to get you going. And so I did'.
In Ave's case, inspiration struck after seeing new paintings by legendary American painter Cy Twombly. A hero of Ave's ever since his university days in 1960s Arizona, the abstract expressionist Twombly's influence has coloured Ave's long career with an idiosyncratic sense of playfulness and fun. ‘Cy works for me like electricity mains – I plug myself into his work, I call him, I visit him, and away I go' In Lal Dhalia, Ave breaks through the shackles of depression and creative block, paying homage to Twombly, his hero, mentor and erstwhile collaborator, through myriad forms and styles used to depict a single flower. Ranging from abstract-expressionist frenzies to heavily-outlined sketches, the effect is heightened by layers of tracing paper taped to the surface, adding textural layers and adding dynamism and movement to the works. ‘Dahlias are a summer flower' avers Ave. ‘My mother died in summer and so I had bought some for her commemoration date. Her name was Lal, But there's no message here - they started as small, tiny pieces in my sketchbook and they just evolved… using India ink, acrylics, pastels. I spent three months doing these, which is why they look a bit withered! My studio was full of these flowers'. ‘It was a creative wave', he insists ‘It had to be exhausted' – working through different medias and shapes, developing lines, volume, area, splodges of colour in all their manifestations. ‘You get obsessed with it, which is good – if it doesn't interest me, why should it interest anyone else?' It's clear that Lal Dhalias marks a transitional period for Ave, an honest and cathartic expression of emotion and eloquence.
About Fereydoun Ave
Iranian artist and gallerist, Ave was born
in Tehran but was educated in America. He received a bachelor's
degree in the Applied Art of the Theatre from Arizona State University.
He then pursued Film studies at New-York University. In 1970,
Ave returned to Tehran to start in professional career as a stage
and graphic designer at the Iran American Society. Ave held a
series of positions in the Iranian Art world culminating in the
opening of his own gallery. Recently, Ave has opened a gallery
in Bastakia, Dubai. Ave's work has been exhibited in various
Tehran galleries and in Paris. He has also been involved in group
exhibitions at the Iran Heritage show and at the Barbican Galleries
in London, at the Salon d'Automne in Paris, at Casa Asia in Barcelona
and at the Frissiras Museum in Athen. Ave lives and works in
Tehran, Paris and Greece. |
