Steel table, Gilgamesh and plush winged tiger Review of Ali Banisadr's exhibition Talisman

By Patrick Javault

Ali Banisadr's paintings always seem animated by a swirling, tornado-like eddy, a tempest or storm, in which figures are carried or hurled. ‘Talisman’ opened simultaneously with a presentation of the artist's works at the Gustave Moreau Museum in Paris, and the two exhibitions resonate with each other. Banisadr has considered the symbolist master, one of his admirations, without directly referencing him in his new works. At the Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery, he chose to present a group of five sculptures in the center of the room, creating a dialogue with the paintings. These bronze sculptures, the result of modeling and assemblage, each placed on a unique pedestal, are inspired by characters from the Odyssey or the Epic of Gilgamesh. Bearing a touch of magic, they also act as spectators of the painted works. [...]