Basel Social Club 2024: Arash Hanaei

Arash Hanaei (b. 1978, Tehran, Iran) is a visual artist who lives and works in Paris, France. He holds a BA in Photography from Azad University of Art (2002). Following a series of photography exhibitions, Hanaei's practice uses other media to deliver a message, set up a stage, or highlight issues he finds important.

Arash Hanaei uses visual arts outfits to address his socio-political concerns. His different series is a commentary on a kaleidoscope of issues: terrorism vs. the war on terror, dislocation and belonging, urban vs. suburban spaces, the impact of the digital age on social interaction, the influence of market systems and commercial culture, and since his move to France in 2015, conditions "influenced by emergency states, transitory situations, and destinies." In "Capital" (2008-2015), he simplifies photographic scenes in the city of Tehran into a "readable" text. In "Cyclothymia of a Land" (2015-2017), urbanity is eclipsed by a more urgent question: “Can we still grasp the city as a permanent place of residence, and what are the instabilities of this description?" In "Pop-up Clouds" (2019), a series of mixed media installations with audio, video, and digital prints, the visitor is transported into a psycho-geographic setting akin to pop-up windows on a computer screen.