Opening at Aaran Projects on 23rd February 2018

The painterly narrative of Mohammad Eskandari is always laden with symbolism. In the new set of ‎works that include life size portraits of his friends, it is the figures that become the symbol; the symbol ‎of a brave generation that was born right after the revolution. Jumping, shouting, standing firm; ‎confidently reaching to touch the sky all the while defying gravity of the situation and the hardship they ‎have had to live with. Boxed in these canvases are a past that is unresolved and a future that is as ‎uncertain as it can be. The figures in these paintings trace the hopes and dreams of generations of ‎Iranians that have struggled to bring order to their lives, an objective that as time goes by seems more ‎like an illusion. But illusion is as true as a truth, even if it can only express partial or fractured truth. ‎
This is the brave face of Iran; the fallen and the raised, in circular runs, time after time, one can almost ‎hear them singing our beloved songs of freedom and resistance; generations of disillusioned Persians ‎but not the defeated.‎
In his amazing three-meter length canvas two different generations pass through the gates of “Azadi ‎Tower” (Liberty Tower), as if they are being baptized under its doom, right beneath the majestic Alborz ‎mountain range in Tehran, three symbols of city of Tehran, -heart of the country- come together to ‎create a breath taking, awe inspiring narration. And the little boy who is saddened and who is ‎frustrated, but he will rise up, as he ought to because For darkness to exist, there must be light.‎
The regular irregularity of our lives, the pain of Iran, and its illusionary dimensions are the undertone of ‎these paintings. Mohammad Eskandari’s soulful and dexterous practice and his ability in depicting ‎ecstasy and agony is exemplary. He has chosen to celebrate and salute his generation and like many of ‎his compatriots he pushes the boundaries in his everlasting search for “spring”, fluctuating in ‎permanent disorder and chaos but always insisting on hope.‎
We are constantly reminded of the fate of our legendry bird: The Phoenix who is believed to possess ‎the knowledge of all times, from ashes she rises to create wonderment, she plunges in to flames to be ‎purified, to rise again, every time stronger, every time mightier.‎
Nazila Noebashari