Mahmoud Salehmohammadi - Art for the People, Art by the People

Published in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, Mahmoud Saleh Mohammadi presents his research on participatory art in the 56-page double-sided leporello Art for the People, Art by the People.

"Through this publication, I aim to contribute to the evolving conversation on participatory art, encouraging fellow artists and advocates to explore its potential for creating meaningful social impact. By reflecting on established literature and personal experience, I demonstrate how participatory art can spark immediate connections while also paving the way for long-term transformation within communities. Ultimately, this work reflects the integral role participatory methodologies play in shaping my artistic identity, linking individual stories with collective experiences." — Mahmoud Saleh Mohammadi

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Mahmoud Saleh Mohammadi is an Iranian artist, born in 1979. He began his artistic career in Iran, studied painting at the Art University in Tehran, and continued his studies at the Brera Academy in Milan, Italy, where he graduated in Fine Arts in 2017. Mahmoud Saleh Mohammadi has garnered international acclaim, exhibiting his works in prestigious galleries and exhibitions in Italy, Finland, Belgium, Kuwait, and Iran, and adding several interdisciplinary projects and symposia worldwide to his palmaris.

In his works, he combines the focus, uniformity, and tradition of the Middle East with the Western ideals of creative expression. In many of his pieces, Saleh Mohammadi juxtaposes iconography from Persia to explore the histories of Iran, Italy, Japan, and other countries of his encounter. He draws his inspiration from antique Persian carpets, which propelled him to delve into the artistic traditions of Japan, where he discovered inspiration in the aesthetic principles of wabi-sabi and kintsugi. By harmonizing the timeless grace of Japanese minimalism with the opulence of Persian motifs, he cultivated an artistic lexicon that transcends temporal and geographical confines.

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