Mehrdad Khataei

1976

Iran

Mehrdad Khataei is an Iranian artist, born in 1976.

After receiving his postgraduate degree in Fine Art, Mehrdad Khataei began teaching at the University of Tehran, where he founded its first printmaking studio.

His works have been presented in numerous national and international biennials and exhibitions in which he achieved several international prizes. Many of his prints are currently being held in the collections of the Library of Congress, Washington DC, Tama Art University Museum, Tokyo, International Biennale of Graphic Art, Łódź, and the Museum of Printmaking, Acqui Terme.

Mehrdad Khataei’s practice is defined by an absolute contemporary and creative approach. Born in Tabriz and educated in Tehran – where he now teaches, educating Iran’s national cadre of artists – Khataei undoubtedly regards himself as a person of Iranian background who is tied to the Iranian national experience, or the “Iranian legend,” as he describes it.

Khataei regularly employs concepts surrounding globalisation in his drawing and printmaking works. Regarding himself as a quintessentially contemporary artist, one whose relationship to materials and techniques is medial rather than narrowly professional. In other words, he strives to ‘squeeze’ as much as possible out of media to achieve the goals he desires. For him, the choice of various forms of drawing and printmaking (techniques such as aquatint or drypoint are by definition archaic, affectedly traditional) is not a matter of mere taste or expertise; instead, he personalises and internalises these techniques as vehicles for expressing a given content. That is, he uses them as catalysts for cutting-edge artistic ideas: for methods of mediation, for various types of allusion and for a variety of techniques ranging from surrealistic displacement to intellectual montage. Without considering these ‘instrumental-representative functions’ in the words of Catherine de Zegher, it is difficult to understand the main features of Khataei’s authorial world-view, of his individual poetics.

Selected Events

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2018 Doom- in Mah Art gallery, Tehran, Iran
2016 Drawing and MixedMedia Solo Exhibition, Sophia Contemporary Gallery, London, UK
2014 Drawing and Video Art Solo Exhibition, Mah Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2009 Printmaking and Drawing Solo Exhibition, Dey Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2008 Printmaking Solo Exhibition, Assar Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2007 Printmaking Solo Exhibition, Aria Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2006 Painting Solo Exhibition, Aria Art Galley, Tehran, Iran
2005 Painting Solo Exhibition, Aria Art Galley, Tehran, Iran

PRINCIPAL JURIED and GROUP EXHIBITIONS, BIENNIALS

2018 Contemporary Printmaking from Iran – The Works by Mehrdad Khataei and Students – Academy of Art and Design, Wrocław, Poland
2017 19th International Print Biennial, Varna, Bulgaria
2016 XXX International Premio Fibrenus 2016, Carnello cArte ad Arte, Italy
2016 VII Atlante International Awards of The “Fundación Museo de Artes del Grabado” Spain
2016 1st International Biennial of Graphic Art, Lodz, Poland
2016 International Biennial Print Exhibit, ROC, Taiwan
2016 8th International Printmaking Biennial, Douro, Portugal
2016 5th International Printmaking Exhibition Istanbul, Turkey
2016 International Triennial of Contemporary Printmaking, 21×21, Barcelona, Spain
2015 Tokyo International Mini-Print Triennial, Tama Art University Museum, Tokyo, Japan
2015 XXIX International Premio Fibrenus 2015, Carnello cArte ad Arte, Italy
2015 Third International Mezzotint Festival-2015, Ekaterinburg, Russia
2015 1st International Contemporary Printmaking Biennale, Iasi, Romania
2015 6th International Art Days of Egeart, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
2015 TRIBUNA GRAPHIC 2015 – International Art Exhibition – Romania
2014 The 9th Kochi International Triennial Exhibition of Prints, Japan
2014 Art Festival 2014, Munich, Germany
2014 the ART SLOY International Festival of Contemporary Visual Art, Volgograd, Russia
2014 The 4th Bangkok Triennale International Print and Drawing Exhibition, Thailand
2014 Second International Graphic Biennial, Cacak, Serbia
2014 2nd International Printmaking Triennial, Belgrade, Serbia
2013 Ural International Print Triennial, Russia
2013 The 16th International Biennial of Printmaking, Sarcelles, France
2013 The 10th “Iosif Iser” International Contemporary Print Biennial, Romania
2013 5th International Art Days of Egeart, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
2013 The 17th International Print Biennial, Varna, Bulgaria
2013 IPCNY, New Prints/New Narratives: Summer 2013, New York, USA
2013 8th The Biennale internationale d’estampe contemporaine de Trois-Rivières, Canada
2013 Second International Mezzotint Festival, Ekaterinburg, Russia
2013 The 12th Annual Art Inter/National, Here and Abroad Exhibition, Pittsburgh, USA
2013 The XI Edition of the International Biennial of Printmaking “Acqui Prize”, Italia
2013 International Print Triennial – Krakow, Falun Exhibition 2013, Sweden
2012 International Print Triennial – Krakow, Main Exhibition of MTG Krakow 2012, Poland
2012 6th International Printmaking Biennial of Douro, Portugal
2012 2th Yunnan International Print Exhibition, China
2011 Giving Pause/Reflecting Still juried exhibition, USA
2011 The 15th International Biennial Exhibition of Engraving, Sarcelles, France
2011 Guanlan International Print Biennial, China
2011 7th The Biennale internationale d’estampe contemporaine de Trois-Rivières, Canada
2011 Persona Art Festival, London, UK
2011 1st The International Mezzotint Festival, Ekaterinburg, Russia
2011 Arkansas State University, The 2011 Delta Prints Exhibition, USA
2011 “I Read The News Today” Group Exhibition , The Benicia Public Library, California, USA
2010 Pop Up – Mock Up – Outside Inside, Group Exhibition, Edinburgh, UK
2010 5th International Printmaking Biennial of Douro, Portugal
2010 International exhibition NORD ART 2010, Büdelsdorf, Germany
2010 International Painting, Print & Drawing Exhibition, tactileBOSCH Gallery, UK
2010 2nd Penang International Print Exhibition (PIPE 2010), Malaysia
2009 Guanlan International Print Biennial, China
2009 Art Festival, Munich, Germany
2009 Drawing Group Exhibition, Art Center Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2009 ‘Acqui Prize’ IX International Biennial of Printmaking, Italia
2008 1st International Printmaking Biennial, Istanbul, Turkey
2008 Drawing and Painting Group Exhibition, Niavaran Art Center, Tehran, Iran
2008 Painting Biennial, Saba Museum, Tehran, Iran
2007 1st Printmaking Biennial, Tehran, Iran
2007 Printmaking Group Exhibition, Laleh Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2005 Printmaking Group Exhibition, Artist’s House Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2003 Group Exhibition of Al-Zahra University Professors, Tehran, Iran

HONORS AND AWARDS:

2019 Mehrdad khataei – Prize Winner – Premio Celommi International Printmaking Biennial – Teramo, Italy
2018 Special Award – For Remarkable Contribute in the Graphic Art in the World – 9th International Triennial Of Graphic Art Bitola, 2018
2017 Honorable Mention in 18th International Biennial of Printmaking,
Sarcelles, France
2017 Honorable Mention in 2nd International Contemporary Printmaking
Biennale, Iasi, Romania
2017 Honorable Mention in 16th International Triennial of Graphic
Forms, Lodz, Poland
2017 Equal Prize, 19th International Print Biennial, Varna, Bulgaria
2016 Nomination – 1st International Biennale of Graphic Art, Lodz, Poland
2016 Selected Award, International Biennial Print Exhibit: 2016 ROC, Taiwan
2016 Honorable Mention in 5th International Printmaking Exhibition Istanbul, Turkey
2015 First Prize – PREMIO FIBRENUS 2015 – XXIX Edizione, Carnello cArte ad Arte, Italy
2015 Semi Grand-Prix – Tokyo International Mini-Print Triennial 2015
2012 Honorable Mention in 2th Yunnan International Print Exhibition, China
2011 Honorable Mention in The 15th International Biennial of Engraving, Sarcelles, France
2011 Honorable Mention in Guanlan International Print Biennial, China
2011 Honorable Mention in Arkansas State University, Delta Prints Exhibition, USA
2010 Finalist in the Aesthetica Creative Works Competition 2010
2010 Honorable Mention in 5th International Printmaking Biennial of Douro, Portugal
2009 Honorable Mention in Guanlan International Print Biennial, China
2009 Finalist in ‘Acqui Prize’ IX International Biennial of Engraving, Italia
2008 Finalist and Honorable Mention in 1st International Printmaking Biennial, Istanbul, Turkey
2007 Honorable Mention in International Drawing Annual, Manifest Drawing Center, Ohio, USA
2000 Honorable Mention in Drawing Biennale, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art
1999 Award of Honor Miniature Biennale, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art
1997 Award of Honor Miniature Biennale, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art