ArtDayMe – Created in 2022, "He" by Salman Moghadasi is a distinguished work of contemporary Iranian painting. Measuring 120×326 cm, it was executed with acrylic paste, natural and traditional pigments, and a moisture-resistant coating on coarse burlap.

With its monumental scale and commanding physical presence, the painting draws the viewer into a journey at the threshold of matter and meaning; a space where bold, improvisational black lines on an earthy brown surface oscillate between script and image, forming mysterious signs.

The choice of burlap and acrylic paste produces a rough, tactile surface that underscores the painting’s physicality. The contrast between the spontaneous black lines and the brick-toned background—subtly enriched with hints of violet and silver—creates a visual quality that is at once raw and profoundly poetic.

The palette is limited yet resonant: earthy brown and powerful black. This simplicity, coupled with depth, grants the work a rooted identity. The use of natural and traditional pigments not only recalls Middle Eastern craft traditions, but also reinforces the painting’s bond with earth and nature.

The title "He" lies at the heart of the painting’s semantics. This absent pronoun invariably points to an unseen yet influential presence: the mystical beloved, the divine, or the unknowable other. Thus, instead of direct representation, the work invites the viewer into an existential and intuitive experience.

The black forms, reminiscent of calligraphy, never quite resolve into complete words; as though the artist has dissolved the boundary between language and image to show that meaning is always elusive, fluid, and unfinished. In this sense, the work resonates with contemporary philosophical debates on language and signification.

Other readings are also possible: the tension between absence and presence invites existential reflection. With its abstract form and contemporary approach, its traditional materials and multilayered meanings, He stands as a visual manifesto on humanity’s relationship with love, absence, and hidden truth.

In this painting, Moghadasi shows how a visual language can simultaneously embrace aesthetics, philosophy, and local identity—a statement that, calm and unhurried, touches the soul like love itself.

Salman Moghadasi’s Comment on He

Interestingly, the artist himself offers a different note on his work:

“Imagine this: just when you are carefully guarding your well-being, when nothing is supposed to disrupt your plans, you suddenly realize you have fallen in love... Calmly, quietly… like catching a cold.”

Salman Moghadasi’s Showroom at Al Khayat Avenue, Dubai

Salman Moghadasi, born in Tehran in August 1977, has held successful exhibitions from Iran to the Middle East, China, and Russia. Building on these experiences and his earned reputation, in 2023 he established a distinctive and thought-provoking showroom at Al Khayat Avenue, one of Dubai’s prominent art streets.

This step marks the beginning of new journeys—a decisive second stride toward realizing artistic horizons both beautiful and ambitious. His life and efforts represent not only the pursuit of visual beauty, but also a deep commitment to creating spaces for reflection and human elevation—making him one of the emerging influential figures in today’s contemporary art.