Pantea Rahmani

Born in 1971, Panthea Rahmani studied visual arts at the University of Teheran, her birthplace. From this time on, inspired by Balthus, Giacometti or Modigliani, the artist developed an interest in portraits, which she has been producing through painting or drawing.

Her work illustrates a visual quest for the expression of space, shapes or chromatics. In a tension connecting fullness and vacuity, the absence of decors, the quasi-monochromic aspect of her pallet and the stiff attitude of the model, characterize her portraits. Beyond any representation restraining her practice to clichés or stereotypes inherent to her Iranian identity, the artist asserts herself through an intimate approach. With the representation of her own body on monumental canvases that could be readily mistaken for pencil drawings, Panthea Rahmani invites us to an inner journey to discover oneself.

Shown in many personal exhibitions in Iran, her work is also being diffused on the European and International scenes, particularly in Portugal, Hungary and Belgium, where it has been included in group shows. The works of Panthea Rahmani have notably been exhibited at the Museum of contemporary art in Teheran, in Museu da Agua in Lisbon as well as the Palacio da Bolsa in Porto. It has also been part of several bienniales of drawing or painting in her native land.