Ali Malek

As the cinema expanded, the matter of entertainment became a part of culture. Cinema always had a kind of fantasy with it which could be considered as a possibility to deliver a concept. In other words, in cinema fantasy is not separable from reality. Therefore I call these paintings” the Parallel Reality” in order to show what I mean by the inseparability of fantasy and reality.

The contrast between intellectual depth of art and the banality of entertainment is one of the most complicated topics in that of the contemporary art. To me as an artist, figuring out the boundaries of these concepts is very important. My experiences in street art and animation unconsciously helped me keep a distance between art and entertainment in my but, it was the first time for me trying to keep a balance between the attractions of aesthetic convention and fantasy in these paintings. So I began to make artworks that launch challenge to the traditional meaning of media- through meticulosity. This is essential to mention that my works always have a kind of fundamental association with cinema; this is why it seems to me impossible to show the works before making the point. Sadegh Tirafkan once said “If I could find the opportunity of being a theatre director, I would never engage with photography”; I could follow his by saying if I could express my thoughts via cinema, I would never paint and sculpt.

Ordinary people mistakenly think cinema is equal to entertainment; and as I am a cinema lover I admire the common mistake, so all these paintings consist of ambivalent approaches to the seriousness and fun. As all in my mind comes from the world of cinema, I believe in what Alfred Hitchcock said that is “art comes through entertainment”. With these paintings I have demonstrated to myself that although the objective sides of art can get ornate, the essence of it can still keep subjective.

Ali Malek