Payam Qelichy (b.1993, Arak, Iran) has a Bachelor's in painting from Tehran University of Arts. In his works, Qelichy draws from art history, mythological stories, and the defamiliarization techniques and creates grotesque and non-linear multi-sceneries. His stunning paintings that are not marked by any specific time or geography have been created upon dreams. The paintings are very dynamic, and to fully grasp these works, the viewer must focus all his senses and concentrate on looking. The limitless power of Qelichy's imagination in his paintings has created an uncanny and contradictory mixture of human beings and nonhuman creatures that fascinates his viewers. The exhibition "The den of the man with hollow eyes" is on view from January 15 through February 12 at Bavan Gallery.
In his first solo exhibition, the artist tells a mystical story with an irrational and mysterious language in a chaotic atmosphere. His works, with their resemblance to the performing arts, create sceneries full of conflict and movement. Most of Qelichy's paintings are made of three aspects: parts that are drawn from news photography, parts that are the artist's imaginative sketches, and a look at the history of art. Using pencils, Qelichy has created an eerie and ambiguous visual structure in which it is difficult to distinguish between imagination and reality.