GNYP Gallery has the great pleasure in presenting the first solo exhibition of the Iranian artist Habib Farajabadi (b. 1982). For the Berlin show Mono Extreme the artist has made works in which he addresses the idea of a paradox in the form of the endless starting point.

During the painting process Farajabadi allows himself to be led by a combination of conscious and involuntary actions. By creating such an openness to the unknown he trusts to come across a meaning, which might occur sporadically and unexpectedly, instead of systematically searching for it. For Farajabadi, his paintings origin from his rich unconsciousness that might be universal and carry therefore a certain timelessness. He believes that there are some things in life that seem to exist beyond the boundaries of time. At the same time however, his works reflect also the world outside, although understood in Schopenhauer sense of the world as representation and not as a given.

The paintings presented in Mono Extreme exhibition could be divided in two categories. The first one explores the possibilities of black and white, in the second the artist allows more colors to interfere. Using the all-over composition Farajabadi creates tension through explosions of forceful brushstrokes of acrylic paint on unprimed canvas and powerful concentrations of rudimentary marks, often layered on top of each other. These marks disguise now and then as vague hieroglyphic signs, ancient calligraphy, letters of non-existing alphabet, sometimes suggest a figure. Farajabadi’s sensitive and highly energetic gestural paintings escape any geographical categorizations, but instead relate to recent developments and the history of the medium painting.

Farajabadi spends his days working in his studio in Teheran and communicate his artistic practice through social media, which during the last years have become for him a window to the world. He especially appreciates Instagram, which is based on images only, since this medium gives him an opportunity to display his works in an immediate way that creates an audience. Social media spaces like Instagram function beyond the geographical and political boundaries of countries, which has a great significance for an artist working in Iran.