28 May 2019
In May, Tower Gallery at Bled Castle hosts an exhibition entitled „Dreams“ featuring paintings of Slovenian artist of Iranian origin, Azita Bijol Hedayati.
Hedayati’s colourful paintings that show mainly human figures reminded me of a cartoon inspired by a Russian fairy-tale that I watched in my childhood. The cartoon was about the adventures of a young man named Peter who had a flying ship. Probably the paintings that I saw made me nostalgic.
Anyhow, the paintings that are on display in Tower Gallery reflect two very different cultures, Slovenian and Iranian. For instance, one of the paintings shows traditional Slovenian masks (kurent) accompanied by a woman wearing a veil. Those characters coming from two different worlds – Slavic and Arabic – have their faces covered, only for a different reason.
I think the author – who was born in Iran and has been living in Slovenia for two decades – wants to tell us that despite their uniqueness different cultures have nevertheless something in common.
Many Hedayati’s artworks feature pomegranate, a red fruit with a sour flavour that has its origins in Iran.
After visiting the exhibition, I had an impression that Hedayati’s paintings aim to trigger something positive in people, as well as to pay tribute to Slovenian and Iranian culture.
