Issa Shojaei

Born in Azerbaijan in 1955, Issa Shojaei (pronounced eesa- so-jay) has dedicated his career to his art.  He studied in Bochum, Spain and Cologne, Germany from 1977 to 1981 then studied at the Tehran Institute from 1984-1987.  By 1989, he made his way to Toronto, Canada where he has become an established artist with international acclaim.  His work has appeared in magazines, films and on television.  Like many artists, Shojaei?s art has evolved.  His earliest compositions were abstracts featuring vivid colour and energetic lines, though their mood was often somber.  His recent work is more lighthearted, featuring bright colours and whimsical subject matter.  Over the years, his use of colour has become increasingly symbolic, capturing the personality of his figures.  His controlled and confident use of a primary-based palette persists as one of the most noteworthy aspects of his work.  From light to dark, colours are carefully blocked, and then black is added to intensify feeling.  On the importance of colour, the artist has said: ?Colour brings to us a feeling of life and a memory of the past?and also a sense of the future.?  Shojaei employs colour to essentially encapsulate a moment and the raw energy of his subject matter.  The planar distortion in his imagery reflects his belief in an integral connection between the elements within a single work.  The primitive and modern synthesis in his work is intentional- his wishes to relate past to present.  Shojaei believes that in keeping his lines pure and pushing his images to work on one plane is the easiest and simplest form of communications.

Shojaei?s contemporary work is often described as ?contemplative?.  His stylized portraits of women share similar features yet each remains distinct.  The female figures grasp at the viewer but remain enigmatic.  Through facial expression and posture, he tries to show, rather than resolve, the mysteries behind the women he paints.  One figure will look confrontational while another appears coy.  The truth behind these expressions is never fully revealed.

Contour lines flatten and compartmentalize shape while simultaneously emphasizing the intrinsically balanced aspects of its design.  Repeating lines and shapes create natural, rhythmic elements in his works.  Colours are muted by fine textural lines that convey a warm, earthy tone, emphasizing women?s feminine qualities.  Overall, Shojaei captures women?s dichotomous nature: strong and confident, with a definitive presence but also delicate, beautiful and soft.  Never presuming to explain women?s nature, the artist revels in their mystery.  Shojaei uses the language of art to emphasize both his own psychological nature and the women he paints.  There is a true exchange between this painter and his subject matter: he explores and confronts himself through the eyes of his female figures.  Shojaei is not merely beholding his women but they are beholding him as well.

Selected Exhibitions:

Envers Chapin Gallery, Toronto, Canada; Artexpo, New York City, New York, USA; Décor Expo, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta ABC Show, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; WCAF Show, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; IDS Show, Toronto, Canada; Artexpo, Los Angeles, California, USA; Tresors International Fine Art Fair, Singapore; 1995 Philadelphia Art Show, USA; Aqua Gallery, Toronto, Canada; Soho Open Studio, Toronto, Canada; Grapheteria Gallery, Toronto, Canad