I am interested in blending my body in the environment physically and using the human body as part of the work. The unlimited investigation in the environment deepens as you get more absorbed in nature and as you search more. The placement of my body as part of the work simultaneously learns from its surroundings and at the same time adds to its conceptually. My work examines social and traditional concepts which vary in each work.
To me life is an opportunity to discover the concept of beauty that constantly attracts me toward the source and nature of things. My confrontation to the environment and its infinite immensity has shown me a way to observe this beauty from a different way. What allows me to keep going in my work is the process to explore and to create using my physical self.
Mahmoud Maktabi was born in 1985. He began his first artistic study in Persian painting in 1999 and studied BA painting in Shahed University in Tehran. Before graduating from the University, he turned to environmental art and performance in 2005. He has participated in several international exhibitions and festivals in Iran and other country. He has held four solo exhibitions and performance art in Tehran and one in Korea. His work was included in the CONTACT Photography Festival exhibition in Canada and at the Lithuanian “3 worlds in 1” exhibition curated by Edward Lucie Smith
Mahmoud has been an active participant in Global Nomadic Art Project since its inception, traveling to South Korea 2014, India 2015, and South Africa 2016 and Lithuania 2017.
He has cooperation as curator with different art gallery and museum. As curator his most recent engagement was ‘The voice of stone’ in Didar Gallery (Isfahan May of 2019), ‘After Reality’ Didar Gallery (Isfahan April of 2019), ‘Source’ Jaleh gallery (Tehran 2018), ‘Beyond inside’ Jaleh gallery (Tehran 2018), “Dameyk” in Hepta Gallery (Tehran 2017) “Eco Avantgarde” which took place in Kunsthalle museum in Hungary (Budapest 2016). Also he had a lecture and project “Living Spaces” in Transylvania about environmental art in Iran. He is Founder & Director of “Rah art residency” in Tehran. He found Vayu art & mind residency from 2015.
Since 2005, as a member of “open 5” he performed many group works in environmental art. He has done some scientific studies about contemporary art. Also he was the publisher and chief-editor of “Siah Mashq” quarterly periodical from 2005 to 2008, the journalist of some newspapers and magazines in Iran.
His latest artworks represented in in Lock Unlock Performance art project 2021, Youtab, Sharif Gallery 2021, “Contemporary Nature” Transylvania 2020, “Next to Sina Athar” Sharif gallery Tehran 2020, ‘Theertha Performance Biennale 2019 Sri Lanka, “Persian Follow Deer” Exhibition 2018, “Paper” Hepta Gallery 2017, 57th Venice Biennale 2017, Tree of life Lithuania 2017, GNAP South Africa 2016, Eco Avantgarde Exhibition in mucsarnok Budapest 2016, Group exhibition in Ziya art center California 2016, GNAP India 2015, little statue Festival of Shiraz, Living Space Exhibition in Transylvania, Nap Workshop in Romania, Spring Festival of sculpture in Tehran, Yatooi Residency 2014, GNAP Korea 2014, “Hiroshima Memorial” exhibition in Qasr museum of Tehran, “Earth and Time” selective works of environmental Persian artists, the first festival of environmental art in Tehran, Eco Art Internet Award America(with open 5 group), “Nomadic Report”, Arko art center museum between 2012-2019.
Mahmoud Maktabi
Born in Tehran 1985
Interdisciplinary artist
Education:
– B.A.in Painting, Shahed University of Tehran
Professional activities:
Founder & Director of Rah art residency, Tehran, Iran (From 2018)
Founder & Director of Vayu art residency, Kashan, Iran (From 2015)
Solo exhibition & performance:
2017- Paper (performance), Hepta Gallery, Tehran, 23 November
2014- About Love, Wongol Gallery (Yatoo), Gongju, South Korea
2011- I am a soldier (performance), Mohsen gallery, Tehran, 19 April
2010- Heaven at the 16th street , Laleh gallery, Tehran 14-23 Jun
Curatorial Project:
2020- Performance art project: Asia, Hexxy Duxxy box and Rah residency
2019- ‘The voice of stone’ Ulrika Sparre, Didar Gallery, Isfahan, Iran
2019- ‘Chabahar’, International environmental art festival, Dana & Tavana School, Chabahar, Iran
2019- ‘After Reality’ Hungarian Artists, Didar Gallery, Isfahan, Iran
2018- ‘Source’ Olivier Huet & Margrit Neuendorf, Jaleh Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2018- ‘Beyond Inside’, Szabo Reka, Jaleh Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2017- “Dameyk” exhibition, Hepta art gallery, Tehran, Iran
2016- “Eco Avantgarde” exhibition, Kunsthalle Museum (Műcsarnok), Budapest, Hungary
2015- Little statue Festival of Shiraz, environmental art workshop, Shiraz, Iran
2015- “Living Space” group exhibition, Transylvania art center, Santa George, Romania
2015- Nap Workshop, Daniel Castle Hotel, Baraolt, Romania
Lecture:
2021- Reality and Entropy in environmental art, online Manthan talks, Karyashal
2018- Lecture on Aesthetics today: Contemporary Approaches to Art and Nature, Art University of Zanjan, Iran
2017- Lecture on Ecological Art, Persbook (7th Annual of Contemporary Art), Bayaan Gallery, Isfahan, Iran
2016- Lecture on Environmental art and mythology, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literature University of Tehran
2015- Lecture on Environmental art in Iran, Transylvania art center, Santa George, Romania
2011- Lecture on Recycle art, Hoze-honari, Arak, Iran
2010- Lecture on Environmental art, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran
2009- Lecture on Recycle art, International Conference center of Tehran municipality
Residency:
2019- Theertha Artists’ Collective Residency, Colombo
2014- YATOO International Artist in Residence (YATOO AIR), Gongju, South Korea
Selected of Group exhibition and Festivals:
2021: Global Nomadic Art Project (GNAP), Saint-Lactencin, France
2021- Lock Unlock Performance art project, Episode 12
2021- Youtab, Sharif Gallery, selected by Nazli Abbaspour and Sarah Sasani, Tehran
2020- Unfinished, Online exhibition, by Paadmaan projects and Pansion projects, Curators: Foad Alijani and Hamed Dehqan
2020- Contemporary Nature, exhibition about nature art in Iran, Transylvanian art center, Romania
2020: Return, online performance with Amir Varasteh, Tehran
2019- 3th Paeez-Barg Festival, Tehran
2019- 9th annual of contemporary of art, Hyrcanian forests, Mazandaran
2019- One in front of one, group exhibition, Tam art Gallery, Isfahan
2019- Theertha Performance Platform 2019, the 3rd edition of TPP, Colombo, Sri Lanka
2019- International environmental art festival, Chabahar, Iran
2018- Persian follow deer, Group Multi media exhibition, Iran~Iran Project, Da House, Tehran
2018- Range (City and Future), Group Exhibition, Saye Art Gallery, Tehran
2017- Tree of life, GNAP Lithuania, Ciurlionis National Art Museum, Kaunas, Lithuania
2017- Apologize for modernity, 57th Venice Biennale, NSK State Pavilion, Venice, Italy
2016- Global Nomadic Art Project (GNAP), Johannesburg to cape Town, South Africa
2016- Environmental art exhibition (GNAP India), Gallery beyond, Mumbai, India
2016- Rite of Passage, Environmental art exhibition, San Francisco City Hall, USA
2015- Global Nomadic Art Project (GNAP- India 2015), Gujarat, Ahmedabad, India
2015- Spring Festival of urban sculptures, site specific work in Argentina Square, Tehran
2014- Earth and Time 2, Selected of Iranian Environmental artists, Iran artists forum, Tehran
2014- Global Nomadic Art Project – Korea (GNAP-Korea2014), South Korea
2013- Hiroshima Memorial Exhibition “644”, Qasr museum, Tehran
2013- Earth and Time, Iran artists forum, Tehran
2013 – Tehran’s Environmental Art Festival – Laleh Park – February & March 2013 – Tehran
2012 – Persbook Exhibition in Iranian Artists’ Forum, with Open 5 Group Tehran
2012-”Nomadic Report”, Arko art center museum, South Korea
2011- Eco Art Awards, online contest, with Open 5 Group, USA
2011- 3 Worlds in 1, Klaipeda Culture Communication Centre, Lithuania
2011- CONTACT Photography festival, Toronto, Canada
2011- Environmental art Group exhibition, Esfahan Contemporary art museum, Isfahan, Iran
2011- Participate in “24th INSTANTS VIDEOs”, with Open 5 Group, France
2011- Participate in” Videoholica Art Festival”, with Open 5 Group, Bulgaria
2011-Spaceless, 1st Persbook Winners, Sin Gallery, Tehran
2011- Rok-Iran Artist Exchange Residency Project, with UNICEF, Masouleh, Iran
2011- The 6th National Sculpture Biennial of Iran, Niavarn Cultural Center, Tehran
2011- Participate in “Autama2011” Video Art Festival, with “Fireworks” video, France
2011- Persbook the 1st Annual of Iranian Contemporary Art Contest, Sin Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2011- Participate in Tasvire Sal Festival, Photo Art, Tehran, Iran
2010- 1st Recycle art festival, Qazvin
2010- 1st Iranian contemporary art contest, Facebook
2008- The 1st Visual Art festival “FajrAfarinan”, participate “New Art” part, Saba Cultural and Artistic Institute- with Open 5 Group
2008- New language, New art, Exhibition of Recycling art, Laleh gallery, Tehran
2008- Exhibition of Lorestan Avant garde painters – Saba Cultural and Artistic Institute, Tehran
2008- Faber Castle painting festival, Niavaran Cultural House, Tehran
2007- New Art Festival “Stability- Art”, SABA Gallery, Tehran
2007- “Snowy Town” Festival, Charmahal&Bakhtiyari, Iran
2007- Seminar and Visual art festival, Lorestan, Khoram Abad
2006- Second Festival of Contemprory art, Semnan, Iran
2007- Iran contemporary painting Biannual, Saba Cultural and Artistic Institute, Tehran
2007- Group Painting exhibition, Shahed Gallery, Tehran
2006- The 3rd of experimental Visual Art, (honarejavan), Tehran Contemporary art museum, Tehran
2006-2011 – Participating in more than17 Environmental art Festivals in Polour, Hormuz, Shoushtar, Uremia, Isfahan, Ghaemshahr and Nowshahr
2005- Collaborating in installation Group Exhibition, “Ashora”, Saba Cultural and Artistic Institute, Tehran
Awards:
Finalist in Eco Art Awards, online contest, with Open 5 Group, America-2011
Winner of 1st Iranian contemporary art contest (persbook), 2010
Winner of the Group Prize, Flight and Persistence Exhibition in cooperation with Open5Group-2007
The top seven artworks by Saba Cultural and Artistic Institute-2007
Winner of the First Group Prize, Snowy Town Festival in cooperation with Open5Group-2007
Experience:
– Curator and head of International environmental art festival, Chabahar, Iran 2019
– Secretary & Curator of Recycle art festival, Qazvin, 2010 & 2012
– Conference Secretary of 21st and 22nd environmental art festivals in Iran
– Collaborating with “Iranian Academy of Art” & “Saba” Cultural and Artistic Institute from 2008
– Publisher and Shef-Editor of “SiahMashq” quarterly periodical from 2005 to 2008
– Member of “Open5” Group from 2005