Mahtab Kariman Portfolio

PORTFOLIO 1

MAHTAB KARIMAN CONTACTEmail: [email protected] Instagram: @m ahtabkar im an Phone: +9 8 9 9 1 9 2 7 2 7 9 0 2

PORTFOLIO Mahtab Kariman Mahtab Kariman was born in 1988 in Tehran. At 12 years old, when she met Vahid Sheikhian, an art teacher and lecturer at Art University of Tehran, her artistic life pro- fessionally began. She attended his painting and calligraphy classes for 5 consec- utive years and could broaden her technical skills. Sheikhian says: “Mahtab was a diligent, energetic, and innovative student, always ahead of her peers. I think she has a bright future as an artist.” her interest in watercolor, crayons, and Persian min- iature, encourages her to take Mahmoud Farshchian’s Professional course in tradi- tional Persian coloring with watercolor. At the same time, being intrigued by cultural diversity, she studied Paul Gauguin’s works and, beyond technical lessons, learnt passionate love for painting. Having studied Myth and Reality by Mircea Eliade, myths inspire her career. She thinks: “My permanent concern is visual representation of legacy from the distant past, to remind future generations about that.”Therefore, she always has tried to ex- tend her knowledge of myths from different cultures, and deliberately use them as a semiotic system in her works. She tends to utilize primary colors with their mythologi- cal meaning, e.g. red as a sign of love, or blue as a sign of the sea. During the pandemic, Mahtab has found diverse nations, religions, and cultures going in the same new direction. Recent changes in modern world have motivated her to create a new collection that mixes elements from various cultures. She says in this regard: “After initial studies, I’ve decided to employ manifold techniques and materials in the project, because every one of them specifically relates to the history of a particular nation, and this fact helps me represent my idea of diversity.” Accord- ingly, she has decided to continue her education in a multicultural atmosphere, in order to get in touch with varied art traditions and national myths. She is going to complete and exhibit the collection with newly gained insights, in an academic ambient. 3

MAHTAB KARIMAN 4

PORTFOLIO Drawing Playing Cards In 2019, considering my old interest in the myths, and predicated on my studies, I decided to draw a deck of playing cards and provide its pips and faces with a mythical signification. In this collection, I used crayons to demonstrate detailed properties of symbols and characters. For example, I drew clubs as a sign of air and justice, as it were in Greek myths. I also drew queen of spades based on Ju- dith, a Jewish widow who uses her beauty and at- tractiveness to kill an Assyrian general and save her fellows. I will exhibit the collection alongside my other myth-related works in a solo show soon. 5

MAHTAB KARIMAN 6

PORTFOLIO 7

MAHTAB KARIMAN 8

PORTFOLIO 9

MAHTAB KARIMAN 10

PORTFOLIO 11

MAHTAB KARIMAN 12