Bendana | Pinel Art Contemporain is pleased to present “Le démon blanc et l'arbre en feu”, Alireza Shojaian'sfirst solo exhibition at the gallery.
The title “Le démon blanc et l'arbre en feu” refers to two powerful symbols: the “white demon”, one of the central characters in the Shâhnâmeh (The Book of Kings), a fundamental epic poem of Persian literature, and the “burning tree”, an emblematic image of ancient mythology. Alireza Shojaian reimagines the ancient aesthetics and historical archetypes drawn from these legends through a contemporary narrative. These timeless figures are transposed into a space where binary oppositions (good versus evil, order versus chaos) and conventional norms are deconstructed, redefining their roles and opening up a dialogue with contemporary issues.
In this way, his works blend the imagery of Persian miniature with powerful allegories to reinterpret the representation of the male body, a recurring theme of his artistic expression. In a visual universe where violence, fragility and beauty coexist, Shojaian explores male identity beyond mere physical representation, proposing an alternative narrative of masculinity as we know it. His work addresses issues of individual emancipation, the freedom of the body, the freedom to exist, and thus touches on the universal.
In this new series, Shojaian expands his technical vocabulary by enriching his colored pencil drawings with airbrushes. Color becomes an essential narrative device, enveloping the “dark memories” of societal trauma in a vivid, contrasting palette. Violence is transformed into a poignant vision of strange beauty, and treated with a tension between visual brilliance and the gravity of the subject, between aesthetics and raw emotion.