Parsa Hosseinpour is an Iranian artist currently participating in the three-month residency program at the Artlab of Luisa Katucci Gallery in Berlin. Her work has always captivated us, and her participation in this residency is a long-anticipated and meaningful addition. Parsa’s practice is rooted in painting, where her primary subject is a solitary woman. This recurring figure, while not a direct self-portrait, often reflects the artist’s inner world and personal exploration of identity and emotion, becoming universal through her artistic practice. Her works convey themes of introspection, isolation, and connection, capturing global human experiences.
The latest series of hers – strongly developed during the residency – involves paintings created on textured, hairy blankets. This series of works cross the border of a standard painting by being photographed together with the artist placed in natural environments —an exploration that merges art
with the organic dynamism of the outdoors, though this remains an exception within her largely classical approach. Hosseinpour’s work today evokes the emotive intensity of Edvard Munch and the delicate expressiveness of the Impressionists. Her compositions are imbued with a melancholic
atmosphere, resonating with universal feelings that transcend cultural and temporal boundaries. Her painting and compositions, though experimental in material, retain a classical essence that grounds her work in a rich artistic tradition. From the outset, it is evident that her paintings delve into themes of shared human experience, creating an immediate emotional connection with the viewer. The strong and rough brushstrokes in her work stand in striking contrast to the delicacy of her compositions, creating a dynamic interplay that amplifies the emotional and visual impact
of her art. The isolation of the pandemic profoundly influenced Hosseinpour’s artistic vision. Her paintings from this period reflect themes of confinement and yearning, depicting lonely figures with fractured heads and twisted forms turning toward trees. These figures evoke a poignant tension: while the trees suggest freedom and connection, the women appear trapped, rooted to the earth in their struggle to break free. Another pivotal moment in her career came in 2022 when Hosseinpour traveled to Europe, visiting the Venice Biennale and the Musée d’Orsay. These experiences, coupled with encounters with groundbreaking artists, shattered her
preconceptions about art and inspired a deep personal transformation. Guided by the words of the Persian poet Hafez, “You yourself are your own veil… Remove yourself from in between,” she embarked on a journey to dismantle the barriers she had placed on herself. This marked the beginning of a new chapter in her practice, one that transcends cultural, geographic, and gendered definitions, of which the residency in Berlin – first time that the artist experience living by herself, without members of her family to whom refer to – is the latest paragraph. Parsa Hosseinpour resistance to borders or being labelled bring her to refuse to get categorized as a “Middle Eastern artist” or a “woman artist,” instead embracing a universal approach to art-making that flows freely and evolves constantly. In merging art, fabric, and nature, Parsa Hosseinpour offers a unique vision of artistic freedom—one that is unbounded, pure, and perpetually in evolution and motion.