Lot 82: Khosrow Hassanzadeh (Iranian, b. 1963)

Khosrow Hassanzadeh (Iranian, b. 1963)
Untitled (From The Ya Ali Madadi Series)
acrylic and silkscreen on canvas
78¾ x 78¾in. (200 x 200cm.)
Executed in 2008

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE EUROPEAN COLLECTION
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Hassanzadehs Ya Ali Madad Series illustrate this point as the artist moulds a world in which he gives an almost spiritual dimension to the popular Iranian culture which fascinates him so much. The figures in this series, issued from old photographs, stand out against the patch-worked gaudy colours of the background. The two men holding hands at the centre are identified as two Pahlavan, traditional Iranian wrestlers. Hassanzadeh uses these Qajar-period heroes to represent fading aspects of Iranian culture as he states, In the Ya Ali Madad series I want to remind people of their beauty, strength and honour.
On either side of the Pahlavan are a court intellectual, a Dervish, a General and Mullah. The title Ya Ali Madad refers to the name of the first Imam in the Shia tradition, known to be strong, humble and very generous with the poor. Nowadays, people in Iran use the phrase Ya Ali Madad when they need help, and it has become a saying for wishing luck, commemorating Alis good actions. The swirling calligraphy in the present works background echoes the words Ya Ali Madad throughout the painting and creates an energetic movement around the static figures. Hassanzadeh explains that "I wanted the letters that I painted around them to move like a dervish, to dance across the canvas. I found myself moving like a dervish in a circle as I was painting." Ya Ali Madad reflects the artists patriotism and his sensitivity to the complexity and richness of the Iranian peoples culture, which he presents through a kitsch and almost mystical eye.