ArtDayMe – Salimeh Motamedi (b. 1962, Isfahan) gravitates toward abstraction in her painterly practice, where brushstrokes, textures, and colors become an autonomous language of painting. Her works unfold at the intersection of spirituality, mysticism, and contemporary social concerns.

When presented by MartX and the Bat Art Group at Art Fair Frankfurt 2024, at Galleria Bianchi in Milan 2025 (Rachel Bianchi Archive), and at Galerie Ithaque in Paris 2025, her paintings drew the attention of critics, art theorists, and collectors alike.

The featured work, an abstract expressionist piece from the Nature series, was created in 2016 with acrylic on canvas, measuring 120 × 60 cm. In this series, Motamedi distances herself from direct representation, emphasizing instead the inner energy of nature.

The elongated vertical canvas recalls the stature of a tree or a standing landscape, evoking growth and vitality. Diagonal strokes and the movement of reds and oranges bring dynamism to the composition, while the light green ground and darker layers establish a powerful contrast. The balance between the intense reds and deep hues with softer greens and beige results in a dynamic yet controlled composition.

Acrylic as a medium allows Motamedi to layer color swiftly, combining speed of execution with the freedom of gestural brushwork. Semi-transparent layers and textured surfaces testify to her mastery over material. Splashes and stains inject a vivid, expressive quality into the work.

A diagonal red-orange axis draws the viewer’s gaze upward, creating a visual rhythm akin to musical notation. The interplay between flowing greens and fiery reds to the left, and the dense, darker masses to the right, conveys a tension between light and shadow. Depth emerges through darker backgrounds set against luminous foreground layers. Textural marks and color fields evoke landscapes—forests, rivers, or mountains—without lapsing into direct depiction.

Overall, the Nature series abstracts natural phenomena into vital forces, conveying the pulse of life and the energy of the natural world. The juxtaposition of order (the calm green ground) and disorder (explosive marks and vigorous gestures) becomes a metaphor for nature’s inner contradictions.

Green dominates the palette, symbolizing organic growth and life. Red and orange command the center, like a blazing branch or a river of fire coursing through verdant space. Lighter greens expand the sense of openness and breath, while darker greens evoke hidden depths of forest or night. The central red stream operates like a vital artery—at once lifeblood of the earth and a fiery current. The tension between serenity (light green) and turbulence (fiery red) suggests both humanity’s relationship with nature and the conflicts within the psyche.

The chromatic triad of green, red, and dark tones signifies birth, vitality, and death. Scattered beige and white accents breathe light into the canvas, connoting purity and renewal. Thus, Motamedi’s palette carries the viewer between calm and upheaval, light and darkness, growth and erosion. Nature appears not as a passive subject but as a dynamic, complex, and contradictory force.

This painting merges energetic color, gestural freedom, and acrylic layering into a vision that captures not merely a landscape but the very essence of nature.

Market Value of Salimeh Motamedi’s Works

Over the past decade, the market for Salimeh Motamedi’s art has experienced a remarkable rise, reflected in strong sales from Art Fair Frankfurt to exhibitions in Paris and Milan. Her medium-sized works were priced at USD 4,000 at Art Fair Frankfurt 2024, USD 4,000 at Galleria Bianchi in Milan 2025, and USD 5,000 at Galerie Ithaque in Paris 2025.

Motamedi held her first solo exhibition in 2005 with the series The Distant Call at Banafsheh Gallery, followed in 2007 by a show at Golestan Gallery, one of the oldest galleries in the Middle East. Since then, her work has been featured in major international events, including China Expo (2006), Global Peace in Tehran (2007), Farrell Gallery in Paris (2017), Artem Gallery in Los Angeles (2024), and in leading museums and galleries across Tehran.