Oil on linen, 2022
Hatra is a component of an ongoing series of artworks in which Elmizadeh explores mythological motifs that signify water’s importance in arid regions such as the Iranian Plateau. She is interested in cultural elements that have transcended geographical and temporal boundaries, undergoing myriad transformations. By employing a vocabulary that moves between representation and abstraction, she aims to explore the affective vocabulary of water, as an element that possesses fluidity and unpredictability, mirroring the inherent qualities of painting.
Azadeh Elmizadeh is an Iranian-Canadian visual artist based in Toronto. She holds an MFA from the University of Guelph and a BFA from OCAD University and Tehran University. Since 2020, Elmizadeh has presented solo and two-person exhibitions at Sea View (Los Angeles), Tube Culture Hall (Milan), the Southern Alberta Art Gallery (Lethbridge), and Franz Kaka (Toronto). Her work has been exhibited internationally at Europa and Harkawik (New York), Public Gallery (London), Anat Ebgi (Los Angeles), and in Canada at Blackwood Gallery (Mississauga) and Kamloops Art Gallery. She was the 2020 recipient of the Joseph Plaskett Award in painting.
In her explorations, Elmizadeh taps into the rich tradition of Persian miniature painting and the enduring potency of myth, intertwining narratives that have traversed time and continue to resonate today. She integrates recurring themes of fire and water as fleeting elements, evoking the fluidity of her materials. Her paintings exude a luminous quality.