Farsad Labbauf

b. 1965

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Farsad Labbauf (Persian: فرساد لباف ) is an Iranian artist living and working in the New York area. Best known for his linear figurative paintings, he immigrated to the US at thirteen. After enrolling in Rhode Island School of Design in 1982, Labbauf received his Bachelor of Fine Arts, followed by a second degree in Industrial Design. His linear figurative paintings are inspired in part by Persian calligraphy, tile works, and studies in Quantum physics, revealing his reverence for such ideas as Unity and Monism. The origins of Labbauf's work lie in Figurative Expressionism, a style he practiced for more than two decades, leading to the creation of his linear figurative painting style. His paintings have been featured in more than sixty group shows across the globe, including at the Saatchi Gallery in London and Ex Aurum Museum in Pescara, Italy. He has, in addition, been the subject of solo exhibitions in New York, NY; Boston, MA; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Tehran, Iran; and the Esfahan Museum of Contemporary Art, Iran. Labbauf's work can be found in numerous public and private collections, including the Salsali Museum, Dubai; the Saatchi Gallery, London; Carsten de Boer Art Collection, Amsterdam; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Esfahan.

 

Photograph by Linda Thompson. 

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Over the past decade, the focus of my work has been directed on expressing ideas of singularity and exploring themes regarding the subject of Unity. Original inspirations for these ideas were found in studies of Rumi's poetry, Quantum physics and Monistic belief systems.

In addition to my figurative linear paintings, a second method of application also evolved simultaneously, using lines to overlap different content. Examining unrelated themes and conjuring new relationships, a labyrinth of lines were born by overlapping different subjects. Mrs. Heinz (2003) was a hybrid image of a Japanese geisha and a Ketchup bottle, weaving contemporary flavor to an allegory for taste and traditional customs of pleasure. Rabbit-Face (2003) was a cross between a man's head and a rabbit, referencing a merge between the intellect and the beast inside. These works were followed by the Tulips-Teeth series (2007) and The Golden Rule (2012) which continued to explore a mélange of content, examining connections among iconic figures and such themes as nature, beauty, and decay.

To express and manifest ideas of singularity, different mediums and a variety of contents are continually explored. Irrespective of content, however, my work is a continual meditation on what lies beneath the form: a universe within which subject and object merge into one. A place where there is no separation between the teacher and the thought, away from duality and into the subterranean landscape of union. Even though sources for most of my content are external, my work is often an attempt for the union of the internal.

Tulips Teeth (Drawing 4)

Farsad Labbauf

2007 Color pencil on paper. 20 in. x 16 in. Courtesy of the artist.

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Farsad Labbauf

b. 1965
image description

Farsad Labbauf (Persian: فرساد لباف ) is an Iranian artist living and working in the New York area. Best known for his linear figurative paintings, he immigrated to the US at thirteen. After enrolling in Rhode Island School of Design in 1982, Labbauf received his Bachelor of Fine Arts, followed by a second degree in Industrial Design. His linear figurative paintings are inspired in part by Persian calligraphy, tile works, and studies in Quantum physics, revealing his reverence for such ideas as Unity and Monism. The origins of Labbauf's work lie in Figurative Expressionism, a style he practiced for more than two decades, leading to the creation of his linear figurative painting style. His paintings have been featured in more than sixty group shows across the globe, including at the Saatchi Gallery in London and Ex Aurum Museum in Pescara, Italy. He has, in addition, been the subject of solo exhibitions in New York, NY; Boston, MA; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Tehran, Iran; and the Esfahan Museum of Contemporary Art, Iran. Labbauf's work can be found in numerous public and private collections, including the Salsali Museum, Dubai; the Saatchi Gallery, London; Carsten de Boer Art Collection, Amsterdam; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Esfahan.

 

Photograph by Linda Thompson. 

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Over the past decade, the focus of my work has been directed on expressing ideas of singularity and exploring themes regarding the subject of Unity. Original inspirations for these ideas were found in studies of Rumi's poetry, Quantum physics and Monistic belief systems.

In addition to my figurative linear paintings, a second method of application also evolved simultaneously, using lines to overlap different content. Examining unrelated themes and conjuring new relationships, a labyrinth of lines were born by overlapping different subjects. Mrs. Heinz (2003) was a hybrid image of a Japanese geisha and a Ketchup bottle, weaving contemporary flavor to an allegory for taste and traditional customs of pleasure. Rabbit-Face (2003) was a cross between a man's head and a rabbit, referencing a merge between the intellect and the beast inside. These works were followed by the Tulips-Teeth series (2007) and The Golden Rule (2012) which continued to explore a mélange of content, examining connections among iconic figures and such themes as nature, beauty, and decay.

To express and manifest ideas of singularity, different mediums and a variety of contents are continually explored. Irrespective of content, however, my work is a continual meditation on what lies beneath the form: a universe within which subject and object merge into one. A place where there is no separation between the teacher and the thought, away from duality and into the subterranean landscape of union. Even though sources for most of my content are external, my work is often an attempt for the union of the internal.

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  • Born: Tehran, Iran
  • Based: New York, NY, USA

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