A collaboration between Assar and O Galleries, “Paradox IV” is the fourth exhibition of a series to be held at various praised associate galleries during Assar’s provisional state of relocating.
The exhibition features Javad Modaresi’s recent collection of paintings, created over the past three years as a continuation of his previous collection, “Paradox III,” which was exhibited at Assar Gallery in 2020.
“Paradox IV” is more expressive in terms of composition, coloring, and deformation than the previous works of the Paradox series. Modaresi’s major challenge in this collection is to preserve and enhance the expressive qualities of the painting while managing the time-consuming process of creation and revision. These two approaches have contrasting spirits: one emphasizes performing under emotional and psychological triggers, while the other focuses on the slow procedure of adding layers to create intricate details in each painting. Likewise, in our current daily life where we constantly strive to live rationally and deal with everyday challenges, despite emotional and psychological pressures caused by instability and social breakdowns. In fact, creating a balance between expressive features while working slowly and following the blueprint of the creative path is the main contradiction of Modaresi in the creation of “Paradox IV”; in fact the main difference between the collection on display and previous “Paradox” series.
The title “Na-Sazeh” (Non-Structure), the Persian equivalent of paradox by Darioush Ashuri, was chosen as the title of Javad Modaresi’s series for the first time in 2007. The title not only includes contradiction but also refers to the concept of a structure that is not a structure. The subject of the Paradox I, II, III, and IV series is similarly the urban space, presented respectively in 2010, 2019, and 2020 in Azad Art Gallery (“Paradox I”), Assar Art Gallery (“Paradox II” and “Paradox III”) and now hosted by O Gallery by Assar Gallery. A topic that continued to be addressed by Modaresi due to his great interest in architecture, rooted in its geometric form and the concept of residence.
Javad Modaresi was born in 1989 in Mashhad. While he occasionally used unconventional materials like zinc, Plexiglas, and charcoal, his primary medium has always been oil. His body of work explores various types of architecture, from old caravaneers to urban buildings. Modaresi, who holds a master’s degree in painting, has presented his work in 14 solo shows over the past 21 years and has been part of several international group exhibitions.