Salimeh Motamedi and a Nature Both Abstract and Expressive
In this work, the elongated vertical canvas evokes the stature of a tree or a standing landscape, conjuring a sense of growth. The triad of “Life, Energy, Death” is narrated through painterly expression.
Iran Art : Salimeh Motamedi (b. 1962, Isfahan), whose works are shaped at the intersection of spirituality, mysticism, and contemporary social concerns, gained notable recognition when her paintings were presented by MartX and the BAT Art Group at Art Fair Frankfurt 2024, Rachel Bianchi Archive – Galleria Bianchi Milan 2025, and ITHAQUE Gallery Paris 2025. Her exhibitions were met with acclaim from critics, art theorists, and collectors alike.
Among her most distinguished pieces is an abstract-expressionist painting from the Nature series, executed in acrylic on canvas (120×60 cm) in 2016. Motamedi is one of those artists who does not approach painting as mere representation of nature but as a means to uncover its essence. In her painterly act, she leans toward abstraction, often treating brushstrokes, texture, and color as an autonomous language—a language in which mysticism, spirituality, and social concerns converge.
In this work, the elongated vertical format recalls the upright posture of a tree or landscape, evoking the sensation of growth. Diagonal strokes and the motion of red and orange tones infuse the composition with energy and dynamism, while the layered greens in the background create an organic and calming atmosphere. Through the use of acrylic, Motamedi preserves the immediacy of execution and the freedom of layering. Stains and splashes lend the work a vivid, expressive dimension—as though the painting becomes a stage for the struggle between light and darkness.
Green embodies birth and serenity; red recalls blood and vitality; darker hues signify erosion and death. This triad of Life, Energy, Death forms the very essence of nature, poetically abstracted by Motamedi. From the perspective of color semantics, the central red slices through the canvas like a fiery artery—a flaming branch or a river of energy flowing through the heart of greenery. Opposing this, light and dark greens construct a dialogue of calm and uncertainty, while scattered beiges and whites, like luminous breaths, suggest moments of pause and release amid the chaos of color.
Motamedi’s paintings are not mere depictions of nature but attempts to articulate its inner energy. With a fervent palette, a liberated brush rhythm, and a poetic gaze, she renders nature as a force both dynamic and paradoxical—a force oscillating between serenity and turmoil, light and darkness, life and death.
The Market for Salimeh Motamedi’s Works
Over the past decade, the value of Salimeh Motamedi’s works in the art market has risen significantly. Her paintings were offered at Art Fair Frankfurt 2024 for $4,000 and later priced at $4,000 in Milan and $5,000 in Paris.
This market growth coincides with her strong international presence—from Expo China (2006) and the World Peace exhibition in Tehran (2007) to Galerie Farrel Paris (2017), Artem Los Angeles (2024), as well as leading museums and galleries in Tehran.
Her first solo exhibition was held in 2005 at Banfsheh Gallery with the collection “The Distances Are a Voice Calling Me,” followed two years later by a show at Golestan Gallery—formative milestones that cemented her path in the professional art scene.