Kourosh Salehi
Kourosh Salehi was born in Iran. Following his success at regional and national Arts Competitions in 1977 he went to Europe to continue his training. In London, he studied at Waltham Forest College of Art, North London Polytechnic, and Kingston University.
He articulates the dialectic of the past with the present and captures the mood of an Iranian in exile. By revoking his early training in Persian painting, and instinctively combing it with artistic schools and techniques learned in the West, a rich warm and original form emerges giving the paintings a unique quality, a distant yet analytical look, not so much relating to a particular place, but examining the human condition universally. Salehi concentrates on characters, or singular figures rather than crowds, in order to develop the psychological mood of the individual. As an artist he deals with solitary feelings rather than mass social or political concerns. The subjects, filled with intensity and melancholy combined with raw pride, represent the mood and even character of Iranian exiles longing to be absorbed by the sounds, and the earth of Iran. On a universal human level, however, his works reach out beyond physical borders to appeal to all those who search for meaning and purpose.
Salehi has been making Films and Video Arts since 1992. He has participated in group and solo exhibitions in the Middle East, London, Paris, Venice, Amsterdam, and South Africa.
