Italian Embassy Launches episode 2 “Hands in Earth” of series From Tehran to Rome

The Italian Embassy launched the episode at the residence of Italian Ambassador Giuseppe Perrone,’ according to an Italian Embassy press release obtained by Iran Daily.

Vaziri Moqaddam, the leading representative of the movement of contemporary abstract art, was born in Iran in 1924. He soon relocated to Italy where he completed his studies and carried out most of his artistic career.

This initiative in the field of fine arts, indicated by Perrone in his introductory speech at the event, aims at highlighting the depth of the cultural link between Italy and Iran and their mutual artistic influences.

“For this reason, we have selected seven artists, Italian and Iranian, who in our view are most exemplary of this fruitful interaction and special ties between Italy and Iran, to be featured in this extraordinary new video series,” the ambassador said.

“Painting is not the mere reconstruction of objective reality. The artist should create something that didn’t exist before". This is Vaziri Moqaddam’s guiding principle and the leitmotif of the video documentary featuring also his innovative style of painting with sand, which draws inspiration from the ash-black sands of Lake Albano, southeast of Rome.

Vaziri Moqaddam studied painting at the University of Tehran and later at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, creating most of his works in Italy. His artworks are today preserved by the Mohsen Vaziri Moqaddam Foundation established in Rome in 2017 and administered by the artist’s son Hamoun Vaziri.

Vaziri Moqaddam died in Rome at the age of 94. He has left an important artistic production made up of a wide selection of works made with different techniques and materials as well as the art manuals ‘Designing Method 1 and 2,’ ‘Translation of Thought and Work of Paul Klee,’ ‘14 Words about Painting, Graphic, and Sculpture’, and a memoir, which today is a valuable reference for artists from all over the world.

‘From Tehran to Rome. A Journey through Art’ is a series of seven monographic episodes produced by the Italian Embassy in Tehran in cooperation with local artists.

The episode ‘Hands in Earth,’ produced thanks to the access to documents and materials provided by the Mohsen Vaziri Moqaddam Foundation, as well as the first episode of the series, ‘Tapesh’ featuring artist Bizhan Bassiri, are available on the Italian Embassy's social media channels (YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter).