The Art of Stone and Water

Meet Ahmad NadAlian!

Born in 1936, in a small town, Sangsar in Iran, Nadalian has become an artist of the world. Nadalian has majored in painting in Tehran University's prestigious faculty of Arts (1988) and has a PhD in philosophy from University of Central England.

His Web site introduces him as: "A human who loves stones and water, Ahmad Nadalian moves like a fish transgressing international borders. Nadalian has traveled widely, leaving graphic messages on all continents bAntarctica in the form of etched stones, thousands of them, large and small, on which he has inscribed or painted fish, crabs, nautilus spirals, and human hands, feet, and faces."

His fame became global when he presented his River Art Project in the 50th Biennale of Venice. Since then, he is invited to many countries by different art centers and his work is scattered in Italy, Germany, USA, Spain, France, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Lebanon, Australia, Burkina Faso, Chad, Egypt, Netherlands, Switzerland, Russia, Japan, India, Brazil, China, Greece, UK, Finland, Morocco, South Korea, Ireland, Brazil, ... where many of his work remains hidden in nature, archaeological treasures to be discover

In review of his work, writer and art critic John Grande writes:
"Nadalian is an Iranian sculptor whose life's work involves engendering respect for living creatures and the natural environment. To achieve this, besides living with nature himself, he established sculpture grounds in a peaceful environment in natural surroundings. Water is a living element that contributes to his sculptures, and many of the symbols he engraves and sculpts are derived from ancient mythology and the rituals of pre-Islamic civilizations(--Life-affirming rituals that are part of the philosophy of ancient Iranian mysticism, according to NadAlian himself.)

Nadalian's art is expressed through a variety of media, including rock carving, environmental art installations, ritual art performances, figurative paintings reminiscent of ancient drawings, video art installations, web art works, and interactive pieces requiring public participation. Nadalian spends most of his time in the mountain region of Damavand in Iran, and his River Art is Nadalian's Haraz River project, near Mount Damavand.

Located near the village of Ploor, 65 kilometers from the Teheran- Amol road, Nadalian designs sculptural form direct in nature; on the riverbanks are human figures, hands, feet, birds, goats, crabs, snakes and fish. Symbols of the Zodiac, the sun and the moon surround these designs, reminding the viewer that the images are not merely representations of nature, but symbolic concepts. What Nadalian intends is for the spectator searching for the artwork to perhaps discover something more valuable than his stones in nature. (Read Grande's interview with NadAlian.)