Bita Vakili
CAMA Gallery London
16 November – 17 December 2018 Private View 15 November 2018, 7-9pm

CAMA Gallery have announced a London solo exhibition of Iranian contemporary artist BitaVakili, considered one of the most successful female artists in the Middle East.This marksVakili’s first solo exhibition in the UK.The exhibition will open with a private view on 15th of November and run until 17th of December 2018.

Bita Vakili celebrates a successful international career, including a number of works sold at auction, such as the 12th Christie’s Dubai auction in 2012 where a piece sold for more than double the estimated US$20,000.This acclaim has made her one of the most successful and highest selling female artists in the Middle East.

Vakili uses mixed-media on canvas (oil paints, acrylics, fabric, pencil, markers, plasticine, dough, tissue paper, staples, and a variety of adhesives) to create a three-dimensional visual experience.Vakili explores natural changes, both external and internal that happen within a lifetime, as well as the abstraction of scent, space and corporal elements.Vakili considers her work as inherently Iranian, drawing on elements of Persian miniature painting.

For this particular exhibition Vakili uses the figure of human foetuses within abstract forms,as a symbol of pure life, naked and unpolluted. Encompassed by Bita’s work, evoking the security of a mother’s arms, the growing life forms explore the continuity of life and death.

Twisting forms on canvases, allude to the embryonic spiral movements. Pure, limpid and grey and sometimes pink and red colours suggest the embryonic phase.The effort of the universe for survival, resistance, birth and creation is reflected in each veins and pulses of the painterly embryos.

Vakili says: ‘My motivation for creating this body of work is to visualize the skill and patience of feminine creativity as a seed of hope, as a moment of promise for a brighter future. In a way, it is a response to the growing need for positivity in the face of difficult times. My effort is to celebrate life, a genuine and pure life, highlighting hope and beauty in the heart of tragedy.’

CAMA London: 19 Dacre Street, London, SW1H 0DJ Private view:Thursday 15 November 2018, 7pm – 10pm

About Bita Vakili

Born in 1973 in Tehran, Bita Vakili has been painting for over 25 years, mostly working with mixed media on canvas. She holds a bachelor’s degree in painting from the Faculty of Art at Azad University and a master’s degree from the Faculty of Art at Tehran University.Vakili has showcased her work at more than 70 group exhibitions in Iran, United Arab Emirates, Canada, USA, China, Monaco, France and more.

CAMA Gallery

CAMA Gallery aims to be a leading force in the growth and expansion of the art industry in Iran and the Middle East. CAMA aims to provide a politically neutral platform on which to showcase the wealth of artistic talent in Iran. CAMA presents all genres of Modern and Contemporary Iranian art in international exhibitions and online, and offers Iranian artists exposure and global recognition. CAMA Gallery has three galleries in Iran, a gallery in London, and has plans to open a permanent space in Los Angeles.