A Journey Through Decades of Artistic Exploration Kamran Diba, a Paris-based Iranian artist, is widely recognized for his significant contributions to both the art and architectural worlds. Renowned for his multidisciplinary approach, he has exhibited internationally, with his works featured in prominent galleries, museums, and private collections worldwide. His artistic journey is one of transformation, innovation and reflection. Spanning over seven decades, his work reveals a continuous evolution of themes, mediums, and methods tied together by a deep curiosity about form, identity and the human condition. From his early explorations in urban perspectives to his recent larger-scale compositions integrating body parts and geometry, Diba’s work has remained rooted in a desire to provoke thought, challenge norms and engage with the cultural and social fabric of his time. The 1950s: Beginning of an Architectural Vision In the late 1950ies, Kamran Diba’s artistic pursuit began with a focus on his immediate environment. Though he had not yet formally studied architecture, his early works revealed a fascination with form and structure through colourful rendered perspectives. However, some pieces were imbued with a melancholic undertone, reflected in the muted hues and sober atmosphere of his palette. As the decade progressed, he pivoted toward abstraction and non-objective tendencies. A Revolutionary Return: Kamran Diba in the 1960s The early 1960s were a transformative decade for Kamran Diba, beginning with his immersion in the artistic environment of the United States and culminating in his return to Iran. In the early 1960s, Diba was profoundly influenced by the New York School of Abstract Expressionism, which had become a dominant force in the American art scene. His work during this period embraced the movement’s hallmark qualities: emotive intensity, gestural abstraction and dynamic compositions. This early engagement with abstract expressionism provided a foundation for Diba’s exploration of form, movement and emotion, as he began to develop his own interpretation of traditional Persian art , namely illustrated manuscript and Persian Calligraphy. As the decade progressed, Diba’s focus shifted toward three-dimensional work, inspired by the pioneering avant-garde artists Louise Nevelson and Lee Bontecou. Their innovative use of sculptural forms, textures and materials encouraged Diba to move beyond the confines of traditional painting, exploring new mediums and methods. These influences marked a turning point in his practice, as he began to experiment with installation, happening and the interplay of space, objects and ideas. In 1965, Diba returned to Iran, bringing with him the avant-garde sensibilities he had developed in the United States. This marked the beginning of a new phase in his career, characterized by groundbreaking experiments that blended absurd voice narratives with banal and environmental themes. One of his most notable works from this period was his Waterman project, which combined happening, figurative art and audiovisual elements. The Waterman, modelled after his close friend Ghazaleh, who would later gain prominence as a novelist, was an androgynous figure that blurred gender boundaries and embodied fluidity and ambiguity. This performance, which centered on water as a symbolic and sensory element, drew from a deeply personal memory of nearly drowning in a swimming pool as a child and being saved by his father. Accompanied by the rhythmic sound of water droplets, the performance merged tactile and auditory sensations, creating a multisensory experience that challenged traditional local artistic boundaries. This phase of Diba’s work, spanning from the abstract expressionism of his early 1960s to the avant-garde happening and three-dimensional experimentation of the late 1960s, reflects his ability to adapt and innovate across mediums and influences. His return to Iran marked the beginning of his role as a cultural bridge, introducing experimental practices to the Iranian art scene while remaining deeply connected to his personal and cultural roots. The 1970s: Pop Art and Cultural Dialogues In the 1970s, Diba’s artistic focus shifted under the influence of the pop art movement. He began exploring figurative art, narrowing his attention to women’s high-heeled shoes, inspired by childhood memories of his mother’s bespoke footwear. These works delved into the interplay between personal and cultural identity, emphasising the nuanced relationship between femininity and societal norms. This decade also marked Diba’s increasing involvement in architecture, culminating in his role as the founding director and architect of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. Here, his dual passions converged, as he curated a collection that bridged traditional and modern artistic practices, solidifying his legacy as a cultural pioneer. The 1980s and 1990s: Reflection and Recreation The 1980s saw Diba returning to themes of water and abstract geometry, with works exploring the relationship between soft, organic human forms and rigid, geometric shapes like triangles. This interplay became a metaphor for the dualities of human existence—emotion versus reason, chaos versus structure. Unfortunately, many works from this period were lost after being left with a friend in New York. However, decades later, Diba recreated them from memory and surviving slides, signing them as “1981–2024,” symbolizing their enduring resonance and the passage of time. The 1990s, while less prolific in terms of art, marked Diba’s focus on architecture. Yet the reflective nature of the decade laid the groundwork for his narrative-driven work of the 2000s. The 2000s: Stories and Social Commentary Entering the 21st century, Diba’s art took on a narrative quality, addressing themes of women’s roles in society and the violence they face. Inspired by the diminishing freedoms of women in patriarchal cultures, his works combined text and imagery, creating layered compositions that invited viewers to engage with both the visual and the conceptual. This period also saw the birth of Global News, a series blending journalistic aesthetics with artistic reinterpretation. Through imagined newspapers, Dib explored the interplay of global narratives, creating a platform for dialogue and reflection. Exhibited in Tehran and Dubai, these works highlighted Diba’s ability to merge the personal with the universal. The 2010s: Decoding the World events The 2010s were defined by Diba’s expansive Global News series. Divided into front page works and narratives, these pieces reimagined the visual language of international newspapers, blending abstraction, color-coded decoders, and subjective visual storytelling. The front-page series painted journalistic photos into black-and-white, accompanied by colour codes representing abstracted variety of coloured articles on various human activities. The narrative series, in contrast, used vibrant colour images and selective darkened text to construct varieties of stories. Later in the decade, Diba introduced the Fragments series—smaller, simplified pieces derived from larger works. These “clippings” distilled the essence of their sources, offering intimate glimpses into shorter narratives. The 2020s: Body Parts and Beyond In the 2020s, Diba’s focus shifted to body parts, creating large-scale compositions that combined geometric forms with fragmented human anatomy. Beginning with collage studies, these works were printed on canvas and then reinterpreted through a process of destruction and reinvention. Some pieces adhered closely to the original collages, while others diverged dramatically, reflecting Diba’s evolving vision. Recognizing the limitations of purely visual art, Diba began incorporating text into these works, assigning words that invited viewers to imagine a false connection between the text and image. These thought-provoking juxtapositions added an interactive dimension to the paintings, deepening their engagement with audiences. A Legacy of Evolution Kamran Diba’s artistic journey is one of constant reinvention. From his early urban studies to his exploration of body parts and geometric abstraction, Diba’s work reflects a deep engagement with both personal and universal themes. Humble in its presentation yet profound in its scope, his art continues to resonate as a testament to creativity’s ability to evolve, adapt and inspire. Spanning decades, his legacy is not one of static achievement but of a lifelong conversation with art, society and the human experience.