"It is written among the limitless constellations of the celestial heavens, and in the depths of the emerald seas, and upon every grain of sand in the vast deserts, that the world which we see is an outward and visible dream of an inward and invisible reality." - Thief and the Cobbler

To demonstrate a synthesis between the social, political, cultural differences of the Middle Eastern - Western dialectic during an era of media induced fear, misconception of the masses, contingent animostiy and naïveté of multi-dimensionality; therefore, engaging social awareness, creating discourse of artifice in hopes of positing a balanced, lofty amalgamation.

Still mainting the classical presence of Persian Figurative Painting and Farsi Calligraphy, a new contextual display of modern socio-political circumtances and meta-narratives will be applied to spectacle of artifact. Averting the trends of banality in Contemporary Art, ephemeral changes of style and subject will decry the pretense.

The exposition of work on this website is to familiarize the viewer to Arien's aesthetic artistry as opposed to his latest conceptually driven work.

{Excerpt from a proposal for a 2008 Travelling Exhibition on "The Veil"}:

The strict Muslim world decries most Western influences, but with the current controversial occupation of the United States in Iraq, and soon to be Iran, Westernization will not only have an effect on the industry and politics, but also on society as well. Corporations tend to Globalize non-western societies in order to find new sources of profit, which can lead to interpretation, and integration of their influence into the customs of the cultural surroundings. New ways of capitalization will commence; therefore cultural elements will be viewed as possible commodities in order to make provision for the land they are dominating.

Globalization is constantly being implemented and I intend to show the negative, cultural/social effects of Western enterprises/corporations into the Middle Eastern Culture. It will portray the ramifications on the working class during acculturation between two conflicting cultures. Globalization and its ìeconomic liberalizationî will be portrayed in this case as spoiling an individualized and unique culture.

The veil is easily identifiable with Muslim culture and the corporate logos/design is identifiable with Western Consumerism / late capitalism; therefore, an amalgamation of the two will create a new perspective for this platform of current socio-political discussion. I plan to cross the two by branding the veils, allowing the veil to maintain sanctity but also allowing corporate manifestations to procure.

This will predict an aspect of the future outcome in the Western - Middle Eastern relations, emphasizing that no matter how different these cultures are or how misunderstood each culture is to the other, anything can be capitalized for the pursuit of profit always comes first.- Arien Valizadeh

Photo from Bijan Mofid's "Shahr-e-Qessa" or "Story Village"
circa; Tehran, Iran 1969