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We are pleased to present works by the mysterious contemporary Iranian artist, the street muralist who goes by the pseudonym Mirza Hamid. He lives and works in Tehran Iran.
Mirza Hamid’s identity is unknown, and often he’s referred to in his home country as “The Banksy of Iran”. Though his work is well known in Iran, this is his first exhibition in the US.
During the past decade, his work has been appearing on the busy streets and back alleys of Tehran, with occasional forays into other cities. To date he has done several hundred murals. The city periodically paints over the murals, and Mirza Hamid paints more.
Hamid uses only an ancient red earth as his medium, the exact same timeless medium used in ancient cave paintings. His work refers to the origin of all things, to art being inherent in all humans. He reminds us that we have always been one, one human race. In the context of the vast and modern city of Tehran, he paints on unique buildings chosen with a keen eye, both historic and modern architecture, and takes us to the seed of our want for art. Mirza Hamid depicts in graceful forms, an extract of all stories ever told.