Doom #07

Please note: Artwork mockups are for illustrative purposes only.

About the Artwork:
Collection: Doom
Chernobyl and Doom collections are inspired by the catastrophic events that happened at the Chernobyl power plant in 1986 which led to many deaths, rare diseases, cancer, lots of mutations and left a 30 square kilometre area namely “The Zone”, uninhabitable for many decades with no clear picture of its future. The management of the catastrophe was as disastrous as the explosion itself which increased the number of casualties and the amplitude of the aftermath. Many firefighters were dispatched to the scene without proper protection, residents of the nearby towns were not evacuated in time and even the Soviets tried to hide the incident from the world for several hours. Five million people were harmed as a result of the incident. Ukraine and Russia apart, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland, Great Britain and other countries were burdened by its aftermaths.
The consequences of the Chernobyl incident were the cause and reason for Mehrdad in the two collections. In his own words: “I have challenged the achievements of societies which impose their authority in their own style and manner, on people’s identity and individuality.”
Mehrdad notes that “A sense of disturbance in one’s personal and private space, confusion of beliefs and thinking structures among each member of society, lack of individual security, destruction of privacy, emphasis on quality and details of the individuals’ outward and inward status without recognising their identity and giving particular labels to people’s lifestyle in the forbidden “Zone” are the statements that I have graphically described in my new collection.”
Mehrdad also adds “Portraits are subject to the main core, despite their authority over the image and their individual context, details and particularity. They are under the influence of iconic forms orderly surrounding them. And it seems like as if in between the empty spaces are vacuums caused by unidentified times and places for portraits arranged in these types of society.”

About the Artist:
With his many achievements, qualifications, awards and recognitions, Mehrdad Khataei is one of the most talented artists in Iran. His unique artworks have been admired and loved by many critics and art lovers around the world. His artworks have been shown in numerous well-known and prestigious exhibitions and biennials internationally. His works also feature in many public art collections including Tama Art University Museum in Tokyo, The Library of Congress, Washington D.C. and the International Print Center in New York. Here at Meloomi we are honoured to have the opportunity to present some of Mehrdad’s precious drawings and mixed media works. Read more…