Sleeping on a train is no small feat.
07.08.2023 - 15:51 / forbes.com
Every morning, the French-Iranian contemporary artist Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar enters his atelier nestled in the South of France, overlooking the stunning expanse of the ocean. Surrounded by nature, he immerses himself in meditation. This practice, honed over many years, has led him to his current success, transforming pain into purpose and creating a unique form of living art that embodies the energy of nature. At the age of 39, Behnam-Bakhtiar has already built a solid foundation as an acclaimed artist (including solo exhibitions with Sotheby’s Monaco and Philips London), known for transmuting the natural world he inhabits into an artistic experience.
Behnam-Bakhtiar's life and personality are as multifaceted as his artworks. His existence is a vibrant blend of energy, knowledge, deep connection with nature, and a wide range of human emotions. His art aims to present the world with the language of energy and nature. He devotes months to his canvases, painstakingly laying down hundreds or even thousands of layers of organic paint before sculpting them with only a metal scraper's flat edge
“The birth of this technique is rooted in an intuitive process, requiring me to wait until the paint has reached a specific stage of drying before gently scraping it away. This results in unique surface effects on each of my paintings.” he explains.
As he systematically adds these layers, he carefully tracks the gradual build-up of color, similar to a geological study of sediment layers. Behnam-Bakhtiar's signature 'peinture raclée' style involves an intricate process of scraping and spreading numerous blends of vivid pigments. He then waits for the paint to dry to a certain degree before scraping it off. The result is a unique effect on the canvas surface.
“This method is akin to a meditative ritual in its own right. Every square created on the surface of the canvas symbolizes a transformative journey of energy.” Behnam-Bakhtiar adds.
For the artist, these layers are not just layers of color, but represent layers of energy, feelings, and time. He paints from one layer to another over several months or even years, creating complex works that reference human evolution, a prosperous way of life, the universal language, eternal feelings, self-awareness, and history. His artworks access the audience’s psyche, unlocking intuition and human sensitivity and instilling a sense of positive emotions and transcendence: “Recognizing that we are all composed of energy, it becomes a matter of attuning oneself to it, gaining comprehension, and establishing a connection. This is the essence of my artistic practice and the principle behind this technique“.
In keeping with his commitment to the planet, Behnam-Bakhtiar uses only 100%
Sleeping on a train is no small feat.
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