Behnam-Bakhtiar’s artistic process is deeply intertwined with environmental concerns. Working from his studio in the south of France, Behnam-Bakhtiar meticulously crafts pigments from local earth tones. The colors on his canvas become a tangible expression of the land itself, a stark reminder of the fragile balance upon which human creativity rests. This deliberate act transcends mere aesthetics, functioning as a powerful statement about the interconnectedness of art and environment.

The artist’s peinture raclée process involves layering vibrant mixed media paints, each layer reflecting a specific energy or emotion. Working in an uninterrupted flux, the artist meticulously removes sections of paint, revealing the underlying layers. As he scrapes, a fascinating interplay of color and texture emerges, transforming the canvas into an archive of every layer and scrape, each of them creating depth and dimension. By incorporating local pigments, Behnam-Bakhtiar compels viewers to travel along these grounds, like the ground they walk on, an increasingly delicately balanced environmental. The vibrant hues, painstakingly derived from the local earth, become a powerful symbol: a fragile beauty under attack.

Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar is a French-Iranian artist born in Paris in 1984. He spent his teenage and young adult years in Tehran, Iran. This period, marked by the Iran-Iraq war, significantly influenced his artistic expression, which grapples with philosophical themes of life and humanity. His work has been exhibited internationally in solo exhibitions at prestigious venues including Setareh Gallery in Düsseldorf and Berlin, London‘s Saatchi Gallery, the historic Villa Santo Sospir in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, as well as Phillips London and Sotheby‘s in Monaco.