Ali Banisadr

Ali Banisadr is an artist known for his oil paintings and his work in printmaking.

Biography of Ali Banisadr

Ali Banisadr was born in 1976 in Tehran, Iran. He and his family relocated to San Diego, California, when he was just 12 years old. 

The artist studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York (BFA, 2005) and the New York Academy of Art (MFA, 2007). 

Banisadr's work has been showcased in exhibitions worldwide, gaining international acclaim/ His recent solo shows include "The Changing Past" at Victoria Miro in London (2023), "Return to Mother" at Thaddaeus Ropac in Paris (2022), "These Specks of Dust" at Kasmin in New York (2021), and many more.

Additionally, the artist has participated in numerous group exhibitions, including "Print Project Space" at Cristea Roberts Gallery in London (2023), "Shades of Daphne" at Kasmin in New York (2023), "Lindisfarne Gospels" at Laing Art Gallery in New Castle (2022), "Epic Iran" at Victoria & Albert Museum in London (2021), among others. 

His work is part of public collections at prestigious institutions such as The British Museum in London, Centre Pompidou in Paris, Museum der Moderne in Salzburg, Miniature Museum in The Hague, Francois Pinault Foundation at Palazzo Grassi in Venice, The Olbricht Foundation in Berlin, Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Currently, the artist lives and works in New York.

Ali Banisadr's Art Style

In an interview with The Met, New York, Banisadr reveals that his childhood memories of Tehran during the Iran-Iraq war and the Islamic Revolution greatly influence his work. He draws parallels between his art and that of Hieronymus Bosch and other figurative artists, whose themes center on dynamism and conflict. He also has stated that his work intertwines personal history, art history, and contemporary events.

Banisadr’s art features dream-like, hallucinatory, and frequently tumultuous landscapes, influenced by childhood memories, imaginary scenes, the history of painting, and sound. He experiences synesthesia, visually interpreting sound, a trait he developed as a young boy during the Iran-Iraq War. Drawing helped him translate the auditory chaos of explosions and air raids into visual form, shaping his distinctive approach to mark-making on canvas and plate. This technique results in compositions layered with disordered forms and figures.