Kourosh Salehi

Kourosh Salehi belongs to a cohort of post-revolution Iranian Visual Artists who have melded Eastern and Western traditions, pioneering a new lexicon of exile. In this context, he is recognized as one of the foremost painters of his generation.

Biography of Kourosh Salehi

Kourosh Salehi, born in Iran's southern province of Khuzestan, had a privileged artistic upbringing compared to many Iranians of his time. Exposed to art, culture, and literature from an early age, he drew inspiration from his surroundings, including his father's encouragement to paint and his maternal grandfather's readings of Shahnameh.

At the age of twelve, Salehi began studying classical Persian painting in the studios of a local artist. After achieving success in regional and national arts competitions, he traveled to Europe in 1977 to continue his artistic training.

Arriving in London before the Islamic revolution in Iran, Salehi joined a local art college and later pursued studies in architecture at university. Despite practicing architecture since the early 1990s, his truest form of self-expression has always been through visual art.

In 2009, a collection of Salehi's paintings and video art films was exhibited at the Idea Generation Gallery in London. He has showcased his artwork in numerous group and solo exhibitions across Europe and the Middle East.

His films, shot in Iran, are characterized by intensity and dreamlike qualities, representing a distortion of memory and the creation of personal mythology. They evoke themes of longing and reconciliation, closer to narrative-based films than conventional video art.

Kourosh Salehi's Art Style

Salehi's films, shot in Iran, are characterized by intensity and dreamlike qualities, representing a distortion of memory and the creation of personal mythology. They evoke themes of longing and reconciliation, closer to narrative-based films than conventional video art.

Salehi's paintings exude vibrant tones while being enriched with vintage imagery. The viewer is positioned as the central figure in his narrative, engaging in a dialogue with his ethereal characters.  These paintings weave a tale of emotional detachment from people, places, and time—a personal odyssey stitched together and retold with fervor and sincerity.

As an artist, Salehi focuses on solitary feelings rather than mass social or political concerns. His works do not promote any particular ideology but instead reflect the intense emotions and raw pride of Iranian exiles longing for connection to their homeland.