Review of Tehran's Art Galleries and Current Painting Exhibitions

A solo exhibition of Mariam Salour's works is being held at the Iranshahr Gallery in Tehran. The exhibition, titled 'Among the Poems I Have Written,' will be available to the public until August 21 and showcases the artist's pieces created in various media.

In Salour's work, nature does not serve as the main theme but rather as the foundation upon which her visual language is formed. The series 'Inscription,' 'Byzantium,' and 'Mac' demonstrate a common concept despite differences in creation time and materials used. This concept lies in the idea that form draws its principles from the logic of nature and develops them through conciseness, structuring, and transformation.

Conciseness in Salour's works arises not from the removal or reduction of form, but from the sensory qualities inherent in nature itself. These qualities transform the form into an expressive yet concentrated and richly perceived image. Consequently, abstraction in her work is not a departure from nature but an approach to its internal logic, where texture, growth, repetition, and change serve as the basis for form formation.

Comparing these three series shows not just the proximity of different periods of creativity, but the continuity of a single visual language. This language maintains its integrity and longevity, even when the materials and media used change.

Mariam Salour, aged 71, was born in Tehran and is an Iranian sculptor, ceramicist, and artist. After obtaining a secondary education certificate in Tehran, she moved to London in 1974–1975 to study computer science. She then continued her studies at the École Superieure des Informatiques in Paris, France, graduating in 1980.

From 1980 to 1984, she worked at Khayat Publishing in Paris as a calligrapher, linear designer, and workshop manager. In 1986, she attended a ceramics research course at the Savigny Academy in Paris. In 1987, Salour returned to Tehran and opened her own studio, where she practices ceramics, sculpture, and painting.

Salour possesses deep knowledge and understanding of contemporary Iranian art. Furthermore, she conducts summer ceramics classes for children and youth. Throughout her career, she has held over 23 solo exhibitions in Iran, the USA, Switzerland, and the UK, and participated in more than 24 group exhibitions in Iran, the UAE, Germany, France, the USA, and Venezuela.