A1one
Encyclopedia
A1one is the street name of a visual artist
who started graffiti
and street art
in Iran
especially on the walls of Tehran
. He was alone at that time so his nickname was Alone which then mutated into A1one. He started his street art project in 2003 and inspired his close friends at that time to also begin painting on the streets. Artists such as Elle,isba, K.T. and Magoi were the first people to join him in Tehran. He is one of the pioneers of the urban art scene in Middle East
. With his public space art, he describes his view on the Iranian society and puts himself regularly in danger. When he began, it was a time when nobody even knew what Graffiti was, in his country. He has also been known and called as Iranian Banksy
just because of his importance in the rise of street art and stencilling within Iranian for art lovers and ordinary people.
His unique urban art
is his way to deal with the society and its social and political problems, and his works always have a universe of influences - everybody knows about the political problems in Iran: the demonstrations, the violence
, the vote rigging and so on. You can imagine how dangerous it is to comment on these social and political issues over there, and you also can imagine how extremely dangerous it is to make politically street art right there.
the artist has also been working on Arabic Graffiti Style Design from 2003 and made one of the very first steps toward building a path for Graffiti style in islamic world.He has made a handful of the greatest Style walls with Arabic letter graffiti since 2004.
'When I decided to do my painting on walls I bought some spray cans - at that time we had just some very low quality colors in Iran. My first work was a very simple work titled “searching for friends” painted on a wall right next to the Tehran-Karaj expressway late at night. It was a really frightening night for me… The next morning I got three calls from friends who recognized my style of painting. They were shocked to see my work on a public wall. My first stencil was a Munch's
Scream
Print on Art University walls and after that , experimented with many techniques and methods, but I continue with stencils, graffiti and sticker art
.
and Western graffiti. For the protest he scribbles about 800 pencil-soldiers in the streets of Tehran.also documented by many photographers and featured in Art Asia Pacific Magazine.
A1one's art world is dynamic and made of many different styles. from portraits to calligraphy and funky characters which he mostly uses for his stickers.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/arts/graffiti-cops-a-spray/2008/07/31/1217097393985.html
http://zirzamin.se/?q=node/763
http://socialactive.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/graffitti-in-teheran-instigating-political-change/
http://pingmag.jp/2007/01/19/a1one-1st-generation-graffiti-in-iran/
http://www.underspray.com/a1one.html
http://zine.artcat.com/2008/07/interview.php
SOLO SHOWS
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
who started graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
and street art
Street art
Street art is any art developed in public spaces — that is, "in the streets" — though the term usually refers to unsanctioned art, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives...
in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
especially on the walls of Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
. He was alone at that time so his nickname was Alone which then mutated into A1one. He started his street art project in 2003 and inspired his close friends at that time to also begin painting on the streets. Artists such as Elle,isba, K.T. and Magoi were the first people to join him in Tehran. He is one of the pioneers of the urban art scene in Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. With his public space art, he describes his view on the Iranian society and puts himself regularly in danger. When he began, it was a time when nobody even knew what Graffiti was, in his country. He has also been known and called as Iranian Banksy
Banksy
Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique...
just because of his importance in the rise of street art and stencilling within Iranian for art lovers and ordinary people.
His unique urban art
Urban art
Urban art is a style of art that relates to cities and city life often done by artists who live in or have a passion for city life...
is his way to deal with the society and its social and political problems, and his works always have a universe of influences - everybody knows about the political problems in Iran: the demonstrations, the violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
, the vote rigging and so on. You can imagine how dangerous it is to comment on these social and political issues over there, and you also can imagine how extremely dangerous it is to make politically street art right there.
the artist has also been working on Arabic Graffiti Style Design from 2003 and made one of the very first steps toward building a path for Graffiti style in islamic world.He has made a handful of the greatest Style walls with Arabic letter graffiti since 2004.
'When I decided to do my painting on walls I bought some spray cans - at that time we had just some very low quality colors in Iran. My first work was a very simple work titled “searching for friends” painted on a wall right next to the Tehran-Karaj expressway late at night. It was a really frightening night for me… The next morning I got three calls from friends who recognized my style of painting. They were shocked to see my work on a public wall. My first stencil was a Munch's
Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch was a Norwegian Symbolist painter, printmaker and an important forerunner of expressionist art. His best-known composition, The Scream, is part of a series The Frieze of Life, in which Munch explored the themes of love, fear, death, melancholia, and anxiety.- Childhood :Edvard Munch...
Scream
The Scream
Scream is the title of Expressionist paintings and prints in a series by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, showing an agonized figure against a blood red sky...
Print on Art University walls and after that , experimented with many techniques and methods, but I continue with stencils, graffiti and sticker art
Sticker art
Sticker art is a form of street art in which an image or message is publicly displayed using stickers...
.
Artworks and influences
A1ones artworks combine both, Persian calligraphyCalligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
and Western graffiti. For the protest he scribbles about 800 pencil-soldiers in the streets of Tehran.also documented by many photographers and featured in Art Asia Pacific Magazine.
A1one's art world is dynamic and made of many different styles. from portraits to calligraphy and funky characters which he mostly uses for his stickers.
Arrests
He had been arrested several times and signed agreements with poice not to work in streets. One of them was when he tried to do a bombing on Iranian official artists forum Yard at 6 in the morning. The managiment of the Iranian artists forum did not understood his aim and stopped him and called the police ....Selected Magazins/Newspaper features
- The Age Newspaper 2008,August
http://www.theage.com.au/news/arts/graffiti-cops-a-spray/2008/07/31/1217097393985.html
- Zirzamin :
http://zirzamin.se/?q=node/763
- Graffiti in Tehran : Instigating Political change
http://socialactive.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/graffitti-in-teheran-instigating-political-change/
- Hamshahri /IRAN : Please Paint on our walls
- Juxtapoz No.97 Feb.2009
- Pingmag.jp
http://pingmag.jp/2007/01/19/a1one-1st-generation-graffiti-in-iran/
- Underspray
http://www.underspray.com/a1one.html
- Art Asia Pacific No.65 / Oct 2009
- ArtCat
http://zine.artcat.com/2008/07/interview.php
Selected Exhibitions
GROUP SHOWS (Selected)- 2005 "Portrait and Expression" ,Behzad Art Gallery ,Tehran , IRAN
- 2006 "Start Propaganda II " Los Angeles , USA
- 2007 "Process Invisible" ,Street Level Gallery ,Portland ,USA
- 2007 "Resist" ,La Condition Pablique , Roubaix,France
- 2007 "Spray 2007 ",Mehrin Art Gallery ,Tehran ,IRAN
- 2008 "Iranian Contemporary Artists Expo" ,Molavi Organization Hall ,Tehran / IRAN
- 2008 "Visual Slang" ,Henry Art Settelment,NY,USA
- 2008 " 400 ML" , Paris,France
- 2008 " Melbourne Stencil Festival 08", Yarra Sculpture Gallery,Melbourne ,Australia‚Ä®
- 2008 "Spray1387" , Arete Gallery , Tehran , IRAN
- 2008 12 Inch Art ,Winniepeg Canada
- 2008 Vinyl Killers , Portland,USA
- 2009 Your Kid Can't Do this / Group show Touring Australia
- 2009 Visual Slang III / NewYork
- 2009 Urban Art Agenda / Melbourne / Brisbane .Australia
- 2009 Brot And Kunst / Famous when Dead Gallery /Melbourne
- 2009 Group Show / Seyhoun Art gallery / Tehran
- 2010 "Public Provocations", Carhartt Gallery - Weil am Rhein[Germany]
SOLO SHOWS
- 2005 "Alone / Pain Things ", Seyhoun Art Gallery , Tehran , IRAN
- 2006 "October 1385 ",Mehrin Art Gallery ,Tehran / IRAN
- 2007 "I am Not Political"(private Solo show) ,Kolahstudio ,Tehran / IRAN
- 2008 "Spray it to the nation" ,Mehrin Art gallery ,Tehran ,IRAN
- 2010 Solo Show ,Seyhoun Gallery .Tehran
- 2010 "Ishq",Gallerie in My Room,Paris ,France
Publications
- 2002 Turn The Night / As Author and Translatore / The most credible book about story of Rock and heavy metal music in Persian language / ISBN 964-7380-10-0 / Mess Publications IRAN
- 2007 Street Art and The War on Terror ISBN 978-0-955339-88-2 / Rebellion Books/ UK
- 2008 Young And Defiant in Tehran ISBN 0-8122-4039-1 /University of Pensiylvania Press(PENN)
- 2008 Arabesque / Die Gestalten Verlag / ISBN 978-3-89955-206-5 / Germany
- 2008 Stencil Nation / ISBN 978-1-933149-22-6 / ManicdPress USA
- 2008 400ml ISBN 978-2-85-980-011-5 / Kitchen93
- 2009 Stickers2 ISBN 978-3-89955-262-1 / Die Gestalten verlag /Germany
- 2009 The Ark ISBN 978-988-18470-1-0 / Systems-Design Limited (IDN)/ HongKong
- 2009 Urban IRAN ISBN 978-0-9799666-1-3 /Markbatty Publisher/USA
- 2010 Street Knowledge by King Adz 978-0007318698 Collins UK/Overlook Press (US)