The lauded APT9 exhibition is about to leave GOMA, so make the most of its final weeks by catching an insightful talk with contributing artist Iman Raad.

Join Iman as he discusses his artworks commissioned for APT9, with Ellie Buttrose, Associate Curator, International Art, QAGOMA. In case you haven’t seen it yet, Iman is responsible for the giant technicolour mural installed on the second floor at APT9. 

Iman works across a variety of media including painting, drawing, embroidery, graphic work and performance lectures. In his diverse works, he draws on influences such as Persian miniature painting, illuminated manuscripts, folk arts, Islamic architecture and internet image culture. He combines these local references with contemporary subject matter to create his mural-like installations. Using a vivid, high key palette, altered perspective, and repetition that mimics digital glitches, the result is a riot of colour and movement that is both seductive and unsettling.

Traditionally ornamental elements such as birds, fruits and flowers are recalibrated into subjects that carry narrative import and are given animate, unnatural presences. These are intertwined with social events and historical moments rendered in fantastical ways to draw in the viewer.

Image credits:
1: Iman Raad / Iran/United States b.1979 / Days of Bliss and Woe (detail) 2018 / Polyester embroidery on nylon and polyester velvet / 26 pieces: between 430 x 900cm and 200 x 255cm / Installed dimensions variable / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / Image courtesy: The artists and QAGOMA / Photograph: Natasha Harth