Ghasem Hajizadeh: Drawings

Parallel Circuit presents "Drawings," a solo exhibition of works by Ghasem Hajizadeh, opening on 19 April 2024. The show will be on view until Friday, May 24, 2024. 

The show includes never-before-shown drawings of the revolutionary figure Mirza Kuchik Khan (1880-1921) and a selection of other drawings from multiple series of the artist’s work. This is Hajizadeh's first exhibition at Parallel Circuit, concurrent with an exhibition of his paintings, “Fear and Desire,” at O Gallery in Tehran and one of the rare occasions that his work has been presented in Tehran in recent memory. 

Born in Lahijan, Gilan, in 1947, Hajizadeh has remained a significant figure in the Iranian art scene for the past five decades. He has continued drawing inspiration from Iranian cultural history despite living and working in Paris, France, for the past four decades. Encouraged by the famed and late cartoonist Ardeshir Mohassess (1938-2008), Hajizadeh moved from more abstract pieces to figurative works in the 1970s. 

It could be argued that Hajizadeh aims to form a broader and more conceptual perspective on contemporary Iranian history through his drawings. His drawings at Parallel Circuit bring visitors closer to the spirit that governs the life of the Iranian diaspora to date. Portrait drawings of Mirza Kuchak Khan, the revolutionary leader of the Jangal Movement (1915-1921), who demanded an end to central government corruption, an end to foreign interference in the affairs of local people, and land reform, are symbolic of how Iranians see political developments in their history. 

The earliest of Hajizadeh’s drawings in this exhibition, "Untitled" (1992), depicts the artist's hand in the act of drawing created in France, where he sought to come to grips with the realities of being far from home. Among other drawings are portraits of Sadegh Hedayat and scenes of everyday life in Iran.