TEHRAN – The Canada-based Iranian painter Hadi Farahani is scheduled to display a collection of his works in an exhibition entitled “Outer Façade, Inner Essence” in Tehran.

The exhibition will open on Friday at Golestan Gallery, which organized his last exhibition 24 years ago before leaving his homeland.

“As an Iranian artist and the heir of an ancient culture and history, the topic of identity and thought and the interaction of an ancient culture with the modern era of today has always been interesting to me,” the artist said in a press release published by the gallery on Wednesday.

Farahani held his exhibit in the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art in 1988 and two more exhibits in Golestan Gallery in 1992 and 1993.

“The major topic of my first exhibit was a combination of Iranian miniature paintings with the modern world, and the next exhibit centered on the struggle of Zurkhaneh champions with the modern world,” he added.

Zurkhaneh is an Iranian martial art that combines elements of Islam, Gnosticism and ancient Persian beliefs.

“Rumi’s poetry and Qajar-era characters in combination with modern medical symbols are the main topics of this exhibit,” he remarked.

The exhibit will be running until May 10 at the gallery located at 34 Kamasai St. in the Darus neighborhood.

Photo: A poster for Iranian painter Hadi Farahani’s exhibition “Outer Façade, Inner Essence”

RM/YAW