Banisadr’s works often evoke the natural world, its shifting terrains and elemental forces, while also suggesting cosmological dimensions that extend beyond the visible. Furthermore, the artist’s unusual experience as a synesthete—a blending of the senses—also informs his practice. Over the years, he has learned to allow his unique perceptions to guide his process, leaning into the ways that color evokes specific sounds of harmony or discord.
The presentation in the Hemicycle Gallery will also feature an installation that delves deeply into the artist’s influences and process through materials from his studio and an artist-curated selection of works from the museum’s collection. From Andō Hiroshige’s evocative woodcuts and Francisco de Goya’s intense, sometimes nightmarish, depictions of violence and superstition to the artist’s sketchbooks and other visual cues, visitors are invited to immerse themselves in Banisadr’s curious, fantastical world.
The exhibition will be accompanied by an audio journey voiced by Banisadr and will debut a new etching created with the team at Mirabo Press in Buffalo, New York. A short-documentary film on the artist is also in development.
