Mostafa Hamani
Artist Statement
Over the years, my artistic vision has developed through observing and experiencing the world around me, particularly the human figure.
The emergence of a painting depends on various elements. For me, the human figure and body possess a language of their own, capable of conveying lived experiences through a particular posture, spatial setting, and relationship with light.
My paintings explore the human figure as a means of expressing inner states and experiences. Rather than focusing on explicit narratives or detailed representation, I work through color, light, tonal relationships, and painterly gestures. Faces and hands are often obscured or reduced to broad areas of color, allowing the atmosphere and emotional presence of the figure to take precedence over descriptive detail.
Through this process, representation gradually gives way to perception. The figure becomes a mediator between the act of seeing and the act of painting, while the physical form serves as a point of departure for exploring the less visible dimensions of human experience.
In the Studio
Mostafa Hamani is an Iranian visual artist whose practice focuses on figurative oil painting and the exploration of human experience, perception, and emotional states.
Working primarily with oil on paper, Hamani explores the human figure through expressive brushwork, vibrant color fields, and subtle relationships between light, space, and form. His paintings often depict solitary figures within intimate settings, capturing moments of stillness, reflection, and everyday life. Rather than relying on detailed representation or explicit narratives, he allows the figure to emerge through painterly gestures, tonal relationships, and the interplay between presence and absence.
His practice investigates the relationship between observation and perception, using the human body as a means of exploring experiences that extend beyond the visible. By simplifying or obscuring certain features, Hamani shifts the emphasis from physical likeness toward the atmosphere and underlying emotional presence of the figure.
Hamani studied at the School of Fine Arts in Karaj and pursued Graphic Design at Nabi Akram University in Tabriz, Iran. His work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions, including In Between at Doost Gallery in Tehran (2025), as well as Hero at Dastan+2 and Housemate at Bashgah Gallery in 2024.
Curriculum Vitae
Education
- Bachelors in Painting, School of Fine Arts, Karaj, Alborz
Awards
- 2025 - ARTIT, Portrait Artists of the Year
Solo Exhibitions
- 2025 - In Between, Doost Gallery, Tehran
Group Exhibitions
- 2024 — Hero, Dastan Gallery, Tehran
- 2024 — Housemate, Bashgah Gallery, Tehran
- 2021 — Re-Rhyparography,
- 2020 — RHYPARO 2 STILL LIFE, Karaj
Publications & Press
- 2025 — Featured in ARTIT, Portrait Artists of the Year
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Selected Works
