“Pixelism”

This painting collection was inspired by internationally renowned photo/realist painter, Chuck Close. In contrast to the Chuck Close art style, Maedeh’s subjects are from her imagination and extremely symbolic. She applies an ancient grid drawing technique on dreamlike surreal images, and then intricately paints them Pixel by Pixel. She, humorously refers to this style as “Pixelism”. The influence of her Textile design background is apparent in her art-work, which gives these images the appearance of handmade tapestry. This technique naturally prolongs the process of completion for each painting, which induces a mental state only achieved by focusing artist’s awareness in the present while continuously imagining the desired outcome; a quality or state of being patiently focused to build the final image one pixel at a time. By redefining her painting techniques, she seeks solace from increasingly fragmented interpretations of reality. At first glance, these images reveal ordinary human figures in various poses with flowers replacing their heads; combining two different species that share similar and contrasting attributes, as if to emphasize the inner duality of the human nature. At a deeper level, we identify with these figures, and perhaps even find them warmly familiar.

Mehdi Alavi