TEHRAN -- An exhibition displaying a collection of stone engravings by Ahmad Nadalian opened at Tehran’s Mehr Gallery yesterday.

Modern Iranian land art is associated with Nadalian. He usually creates works to leave them in natural locations ranging from trees to high cliffs, deserts, and the rivers’ bed.
His works have been spread from Iran to Japan, China, Italy, France, the U.S., and several other countries.
The exhibition’s engravings depicting fish and goddess motifs have mostly been created on broken stones.
“For the first time, I found myself inspired by one of my works found broken in the bed of a river. I have tried to make restrictions and problems a bridge to victory and also to see death as some kind of rebirth,” Nadalian told the Persian service of ISNA on Wednesday.
In his invitation card, children have been called to visit the exhibition. Workshops entitled “We Want to Remain Alive” have been scheduled to be held for the children during the show, which will be running until May 27.
“Children are important to me. I have constantly focused on ‘mother’ and ‘fertility’ in my works over the twenty years of my career,” he said.
“Focusing on young children -- or on the fetuses to be more specific -- means paying attention to our own initial form of life. On the other hand I see the future in them,” he added.
Nadalian is inspired by children, he noted. “How they see the things influences me in creation of environmental artworks.”
“Children’s art -- like primitive drawings -- represents a kind of inborn art… They have the talent to draw figures simply and abstractly. Such artworks, which are drawn by simple lines, are the best patterns for masonry,” he explained.
Nadalian creates artworks for the nature, but he plans to sell the stone engravings during the show.
“I am trying to create an appropriate condition in which such artworks can be sold even if I get a little money for them,” he said.
“The price are not low because the artworks are broken. I believe that -- for example -- if someone buys one of my necklaces bearing image of a fish, he/she will help me develop the messages of my art. The cultural aspects of the artworks are my first priority.”