Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar’s Art Forms A Bridge Between Worlds
Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar’s most recent solo exhibitions, Floating on Silence (Setareh, Berlin) and The Age of Energy (Phillips’ London Galleries), have foregrounded art’s ability to heal from even the most traumatic experiences
Having paid witness to the Iran-Iraq war and going through many traumatic experiences in Iran during his youth, through his art, Sassan invites his audience to grow with him on his journey to recovery. The painter’s evocative abstract compositions have also formed a point of connectivity and creative fuel leading to unexpected collaborations that cross music and art. We speak to British rappers Tinie Tempah and Ashley Walters on the influence of Sassan’s approach to painting.
Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar employs a meditative approach to art. In his Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat studio, he painstakingly applies and scrapes back hundreds of layers of paint, resulting in compelling abstract compositions that speak to the artist’s intimate connection to nature. For Sassan his process is just as vital as the end result, the production of art has played an important role in his personal healing from the trauma that sprung from the Iran-Iraq war.
The transformative qualities of Sassan’s art and his unwavering optimism have contributed to a community that unites creatives and thinkers across disciplines. British rapper, Tinie Tempah, encountered Sassan’s exhibition Rebirth, in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, resulting in the pair to later collaborating and uniting their talents across music and visual art: “After collaborating on a project together it was clear that we would work on something again and here we are,” says Tinie. “The first project we worked on was part physical and digital art. Now the focus is more on the physical art and the space. As a rapper I’ve collaborated with so many musical artists from all over the world I’ve also written pieces inspired by artworks by contemporary artists like Sassan. One of the most beautiful things about collaborating is the combined energy between two creatives and what can come from that. Being able to watch another artist work is always a privilege and a fascinating experience.”
Sassan later met British rapper, Ashley Walters, at his exhibition at Setareh in Berlin and formed an instant bond. Ashley discusses the way that Sassan’s art helped him to feel at home amid the often closed-off art world: “After being invited to Sassan’s amazing exhibition at Setareh in Berlin, I became even more of a fan of his true and authentic artistry. Floating on Silence opened my eyes to his creative process and I understood, after a lengthy conversation with the man himself, that his process involves freedom, being present and allowing what he feels to dictate what we end up seeing. These are all things I can relate to when creating. As a newcomer to the art world, I needed this man to make me feel welcome in these spaces.”
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