Ashkan Behjou
In his project 'Invisible Cities' he combines fine art and architecture by making imaginary cities based on memories, hopes and imagination.
"My mind is full of countless cities that I have neither seen nor will see; unlike any of the cities, we do know, they belong to unknown geographies and time periods. They evoke familiar memories in our memory before imagining a particular space. Memories imbued with the relationship between places and their inhabitants."
Ashkan Behjou (b. 1987 Tehran) is a visual artist based in Tehran. In 2014, he received his master's degree in interior design from the University of Tehran and then continued to work professionally in this field. In 2016, he followed the sculpture courses of Parviz Tanavoli. After spending several years working on his art, he gave up architectural activities altogether and began to work professionally as a visual artist.
Behjou's interest in architecture also shows itself in his objects. The inside of the objects reminds the viewer of the architecture of the cities close to desert in Iran where a pleasant garden can be found at the middle of desert and its unbearable heat. The forms are quite similar to muqarnas in Islamic architecture.
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Anon, (n.d.). Ashkan Behjou – Iranian Sculptor and Artist. [online] Available at: https://ashkanbehjou.com/ [Accessed 20 Nov. 2022].
Henri Stierlin, Stierlin, A. and Buchet, A. (2012). Persian art & architecture. New York: Thames & Hudson.