Fataneh Foroughi
Fataneh Foroughi (born in 1986) received a master's degree in painting from Isfahan University of Art and a bachelor's degree in painting from Zahedan University of Art. She has had numerous solo and group shows.
Inspired by the still-life paintings of the 17th century, Foroughi's work centers primarily on the delicate beauty of flowers. Light also holds an essential visual and conceptual significance in her work. The artist observes the movement and interplay of light on the flowers in silence for hours, immortalizing these perfect fleeting moments into masterpieces.
She sees flowers not as passive subjects but as dynamic entities imbued with profound emotion. She creates captivating works that evoke a personal connection with these floral subjects by merging her soul with the flower's spirit.
Through her meticulous compositions and emotional connection with her subjects, she invites viewers into a silent dialogue with these floral subjects. Her paintings transcend mere representations, becoming gateways into the intricate relationship between humans and their surroundings.
Moslem Khezri
Moslem Khezri (b. 1984, Iran) received his MA in Painting from Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran. Over the years, he has built a strong international presence through numerous solo and group exhibitions in Iran and abroad. Represented by SARAI Gallery, his work has been shown in major art hubs including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Chicago, Seoul, Busan, Paris, and at New York’s Armory Show in 2021, where the gallery received the Presents Booth Prize. His works are also included in the Dubai Collection and Abu Dhabi Collection.
Rooted in the culture and atmosphere of southern Iran, Khezri’s figurative practice often examines the relationship between the human body and its surrounding space. Using subtle variations of natural light, he creates quiet, emotionally charged scenes that feel both intimate and cinematic.
In his series We Keep Reviewing, Khezri turns his attention to the environment of Iranian boys’ schools, revealing the emotional tension and unspoken narratives hidden beneath ordinary classroom moments. Rather than simply documenting these spaces, the paintings explore themes of memory, identity, and social conditioning.
Another important body of work, In Between, reflects on immigration and the uncertainty experienced by a generation caught between staying and leaving Iran. Deeply personal yet widely relatable, the series captures the emotional weight of displacement, indecision, and the search for belonging in a rapidly changing world.
Parham Peyvandi
Parham Peyvandi (b. 1989, Iran) holds a BA in Urban Design and an MA in Painting. His work explores the tension and overlap between urban environments and the natural world, drawing from both his academic background and the lush landscapes of his hometown in Mazandaran. Represented by SARAI Gallery, Peyvandi presented a solo booth at The Armory Show in 2022 and has participated in several major international art fairs, including KIAF Seoul, ASIA NOW, and Taipei Dangdai.
Whether working from observation or imagination, Peyvandi’s process often begins with walking through the city — sketching, observing, and collecting fragments of everyday urban life. Back in the studio, distanced from the city itself, he transforms these impressions into dreamlike compositions where rigid urban structures merge with imagined forms. Through vivid color palettes and distorted perspectives, his paintings create spaces that feel both familiar and surreal.
The imagined elements in Peyvandi’s work are deeply connected to his personal experiences, emotional state, and the social realities surrounding him. Even in his more representational paintings, the city often appears suspended in an uncanny stillness — quiet, empty, and strangely detached from human presence, as though these spaces were built to contain everything except life itself.
Ayda Roozbayani
Ayda Roozbayani (b. 1995, Iran) is a Tehran-based figurative painter whose practice bridges classical and contemporary approaches to painting. She earned her BA in Painting from Alzahra University and has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions, receiving several awards along the way. In 2022, her work was included in the KHOR Artists Group exhibition, and in 2024 she made her international debut at Untitled Art Miami Beach, an important step in the development of her career.
Working across oil, acrylic, watercolor, pencil, and collage, Roozbayani explores the emotional and psychological tensions of contemporary life, particularly the evolving relationship between humans and nature in an increasingly industrialized world. Water is a recurring presence in her paintings, functioning as both a symbolic and emotional space — representing mystery, introspection, and the invisible boundary between her figures and the outside world. Through quiet, evocative imagery, her work reflects a shared sense of isolation, uncertainty, and suspended anticipation that shapes the modern human experience.
Shiva Noroozi
Shiva Noroozi (b. 1980, Iran) received her MA in Painting from Shahed University in Tehran and is a member of the Society of Iranian Painters. For the past eight years, she has lived and worked on Kish Island in southern Iran, where the calm atmosphere, expansive skies, and surrounding sea have deeply influenced her artistic journey and process of self-discovery.
Her recent works draw inspiration from traditional Iranian visual culture and literature, reflecting her belief that cultural heritage remains inseparable from personal identity. At the center of Noroozi’s practice is the human figure, though she approaches it less as realistic representation and more as a stylized, geometric form. As the artist explains, her aim is “to depict what lies beyond appearance.”
Through angular figures rendered in bold, unexpected colors and placed in quiet, solitary settings, Noroozi creates scenes that feel both peaceful and uncanny. Her paintings invite viewers into open-ended narratives where emotion, memory, and symbolism take precedence over realism. Represented by SARAI Gallery, she has participated in several major international art fairs, including a solo presentation at Untitled Art Miami Beach in 2022.
