Ali Banisadr: The Fortune Teller

Since he began exhibiting in 2008, Ali Banisadr has pursued a unique artistic path, crafting intricate worlds within his paintings with a vision that seems almost prophetic. Like Max Ernst, who used techniques such as grattage and frottage to reveal surreal forms, Banisadr finds otherworldly figures and hybrid creatures within his painted swirls and clouds. However, while Ernst often let his methods define the outcome, Banisadr meticulously draws out a complex cast of figures, creating scenes reminiscent of the allegorical intensity of Hieronymus Bosch or the eccentricity of Piero di Cosimo. Banisadr is among the rare contemporary artists who can genuinely claim these masters as influences.