Permutation № 1
2013
Acrylic on canvas
140 x 120 cm / 55.1″ x 47.2″
Permutation Series
This series explores multiple angles and perspectives to create an unreal, fragmented atmosphere filled with incomplete figures and forms. Through the transformation of subjective expression and the interplay between representation and abstraction, the works evoke a sense of evolution, change, and isolation.
Each piece reflects an inner transition — a state of becoming — where forms emerge and dissolve simultaneously. These works exist in a liminal space, as if completed before full formation, like a malformed fetus in the womb that continues to grow and transform, or a child born prematurely, still in the process of becoming.
The Permutation Series was first exhibited at my Bachelor’s Degree defense exhibition at the University of Tehran, Faculty of Fine Arts, and presented at Tehran Gallery.
Permutation № 2
2013
Acrylic on canvas
140 x 120 cm / 55.1″ x 47.2″
Permutation № 3
2013
Acrylic on canvas
120 x 140 cm / 47.2″ x 55.1″
Permutation № 4
2013
Acrylic on canvas
80 x 140 cm / 31.4″ x 55.1″
Permutation in Cubism
2013
Acrylic on canvas
50 x 50 cm / 19.6″ x 19.6″
In 2013, when I was in the final year of my undergraduate studies at the University of Tehran, Dariush Hosseini resumed teaching painting classes in his studio after a long break. This painting is one of the works I created under his direct supervision during that class.
It began as a study based on Anton van Dyck’s The Crucifixion in St. Rumbold’s Cathedral, Mechelen, focusing on its formal representation. Over time, it took on a more subjective and abstract direction, engaging with contemporary approaches to breaking and reconstructing forms. The process of starting, rebuilding, and transforming the work often reached dead ends or seemed complete, only to shift again and acquire a different essence—sometimes even surprising me as its creator.
I vividly remember how demanding it was to explore new forms and to have the courage to recreate—or at times destroy—shapes until they evolved into entirely new structures, leaving no trace of the original image. The canvas was turned several times, moving from a classical representation toward fragmented forms and mental abstraction.
I believe this work is worth sharing not because it is necessarily a successful painting, but because that period—and Hosseini’s unique approach to teaching and seeing—had a profound influence on my vision and sensibility as a painter.
Permutation № 5
2013
Acrylic on canvas
90 x 90 cm / 35.4″ x 35.4″