Reza Derakhshani

Reza Derakhshani (born 1952) is an Iranian painter, musician and performance artist. He was born in Sangsar, in the northern mountain of Iran and grew up in a nomadic atmosphere, which has inspired his work significantly. His first exhibition was at the age of 19 in Ghandriz Art Gallery in Tehran. Derakshani graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran in 1976. He continued his studies at the Pasadena School of Art in California, and returned to Iran to teach at the University of Tehran and the School of Decorative Arts. He left Iran in 1983 following the Islamic Revolution and lived in the New York City for sixteen years. He later moved to Italy, but shortly afterwards returned to Tehran for seven years before leaving it in 2010. Derakshani currently lives and works between Austin and Dubai.

Derakhshani's works range from pure abstraction to his personal style blending abstract and figurative elements from both Western and Eastern cultures, thereby creating an idiosyncratic oeuvre at the confluence of civilizations. His work features in many public art collections including The British Museum, London; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art; The Russian Museum in St Petersburg, Russia and the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, Germany. His "My Wicked Persian Carpet" series was inspired when he returned to Iran, where, disappointed by what he saw after decades living overseas. His homeland had a great influence on his art, as he describes the cultural heritage of his homeland as "a magic box" His 2017 exhibition at Setareh Gallery in Düsseldorf, which is on Iranian artist women, is entitled "Black Water".

On his music art, he collaborated with legendary musicians such as John Densmore, the drummer of the Doors. Derakshani also performed as a musician in numerous museums and festivals such as the Brooklyn Museum and the Montreux Jazz Festival