Pourea Alimirzaee, born in 1988 in Iran, has been living and working in Vienna since 2014. After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering at Tehran Azad University, he studied bass guitar and jazz-blues at the Vienna Conservatory until 2015 before transferring to the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna to focus on the combination of visual art and music. He received his diploma in 2024. His artistic style is characterized by bold colors, intricate patterns, and a fusion of abstract and figurative forms. His works convey deep emotions and address themes of fragile masculinity, identity, and social norms. He reflects on current political and social events — such as the feminist movement in Iran - while processing personal experiences and memories. Alimirzaee’s art often features figures with long, flowing hair, serving as symbols charged with cultural and social meaning. His paintings are rich in symbolism and tell stories that explore power and freedom in times of oppression.

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Yasaman Nozari (b. 1991 in Tehran) graduated in painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran. She currently lives and works in Tehran and began her artistic practice in 2015. Yasaman Nozari’s work is concerned with exploring the potential of abstraction in the search for meaning by establishing relationships between ideas and forms. In doing so, she investigates immaterial and formal values within a practice grounded in the study of abstraction in art and art history, particularly in painting.

Hasti Tabatabaei (*1985 in Yazd, Iran) received her Bachelor’s degree in painting from the University of Art and Architecture in Yazd, Iran, in 2009. Since 2016, she has been studying Contextual Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Hasti Tabatabaei’s works engage with the hidden aspects of human existence. At their center lies jouissance — a profound experience that is at once physical and psychological, nourished by external influences and manifested within the individual. On the path toward this state, human beings inevitably encounter pain and suffering, which become integral parts of their personal histories. Her paintings move within a tension between abstraction and concrete bodily forms. These works are closely connected to the artist’s subconscious and lived experience, giving rise to a unique form of abstraction. They reflect past experiences while simultaneously directing attention toward present suffering. In Hasti’s creative process, echoes of Abstract Expressionism and Action Painting can be found. The abstraction within her works is deeply rooted in the soul and reveals itself in a final form in which free brushstrokes make the dark shadows of suffering perceptible. Through this exhibition, the artist invites viewers to discover the hidden stories behind the forms and to explore the depth and complexity of human experience.

Mary Hassanpour, born in 1988 in Iran, has been living and working in Vienna, Austria, since 2016 following her degree in graphic design from Shiraz University. In 2023, she began studying Contextual Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna under Alice Creischer and Andreas Siekmann. In Mary’s works, texture and color merge into a tactile experience in which each canvas becomes a stage for a quiet dialogue between joy and sorrow, hope and loss. Through the deliberate use of materials such as oil pastels, pencils, and acrylic paint, she creates a connection between the physical qualities of the artwork and the emotions that underlie it. At the center of her art stands the woman - as muse, as a reflection of her own identity, and as a symbol of both strength and vulnerability. Hassanpour uses the female form not merely as a motif, but as a means of expression through which she tells stories of resilience and self-discovery. The reduced forms and intense use of color aim to evoke an immediate emotional resonance in viewers, creating moments of connection and understanding. Mary Hassanpour has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Iran and Austria, while her recent works further deepen her exploration of femininity, identity, and emotional expression.

Ahoo Maher was born into an artistic family in Tehran in 1990 and has lived in Austria since 2008. She studied music education at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna as well as art at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, where she graduated in 2017 from the class for contextual painting under Ashley Scheirl. Since then, she has exhibited regularly in Austria and internationally. Ahoo works as an independent artist and curator in Vienna. Ahoo works across painting, performance, and installation art, drawing inspiration from her experiences as a woman and a person with a migration background in Europe. Her creative process often begins with drawings and photographs, which she develops into digital collages and eventually into paintings. In her works, Maher responds to political and social crises such as wars and climate change. In addition, she has expressed concerns about exclusivity within the art world and the ways in which it often marginalizes emerging artists. She advocates for greater support and opportunities for young and lesser-established artists.

Maryam Radmehr (*1985, Iran) completed her studies in painting at the University of Art and Architecture in Yazd in 2009 and received her Master’s degree in illustration from the University of the Academy of Fine Arts in Tehran in 2013. Since 2016, she has been studying graphic art and printmaking at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna under Prof. Christian Schwarzwald. In 2024, she was awarded the Füger Prize, presented annually by the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna to outstanding graduates and students. Maryam Radmehr’s works reflect both her personal inner conflicts and the events of the outside world. In her recent works, the influence of the social and political climate in Iran, as well as the challenges faced by Iranian women, becomes particularly evident. As an artist, she strives to depict a world that appears surreal to her and to many Iranian women — in contrast to the more realistic world experienced by women in free countries. To convey her innermost emotions more directly, she experiments with Japanese ink and Ecoline on cardboard. The fluid and sensual qualities of these materials allow her to create works that are both emotional and dramatic. In her latest series, Radmehr has further developed her technique by combining her affinity for textile art and mixed materials with the commitment to ink that characterized her earlier works. This series includes mixed ink paintings that unite wool and felt on canvas or felt canvas. Ultimately, her works reflect not only her personal struggles, but also the broader challenges faced by Iranian women in general.

Ali Zare, born in 1987 in Yazd, Iran, is an emerging Iranian visual artist currently living and working in Vienna. His artistic education began at the Faculty of Art and Architecture in Yazd, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus on painting. Since 2016, he has been studying Contextual Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Zare’s works are characterized by a distinctive painterly technique. He applies paint in layers and manipulates it with palette knives and other tools to create dynamic and vivid surfaces. This technical sophistication lends his works a remarkable depth and complexity that draws viewers into an intense dialogue with the image. By shifting, wiping away, and scratching into the paint, he creates dynamic traces and gestures that disrupt the contours of the depicted figures. This process gives his works an extraordinary depth and structure, inviting viewers to explore the psychological and emotional complexity of his subjects. In his art, Zare intertwines personal and social themes by revealing the inner and outer conflicts of his protagonists and offering viewers a profound insight into their emotional inner worlds. His works reflect fragility and the essential transitions between light and darkness, suffering and healing. His portraits move beyond the mere depiction of faces; they become investigations into inner unrest and the movement of the soul.