Passing Through the Alleys

Everything we remember about the alley as a symbol of the city is connected to concepts of nature, childhood, love, and memories of the homeland. All of these can be experienced while moving through the artworks by Maryam Salour presented at the exhibition “The Alleys” at Ba Gallery. Maryam Salour, an artist with several decades of experience in painting, sculpture, and working with a wide range of materials and media, continually moves in her artwork between memory, nature, humanity, and the world around her. In a selection of artworks from different years, from “Childhood” and “Arghavan” to “Iran” and “Lovers,” this lived experience is reflected through diverse forms and a poetic language. In a conversation with Tehran art Month, Salour discusses the creation of these artworks, her relationship with materials, the presentation of older artworks alongside newer ones, and her perspective on Iran and contemporary times.

Your artworks feature concepts such as childhood, Iran, Arghavan, Pari, and lovers. What year does each belong to? What factors have shaped the diversity of your works?

The artworks belong to different years and were selected and presented according to the theme of this exhibition. An artist must be at peace and in harmony with their surroundings. Whatever we put into the world through our work even if, based on a protest oriented approach, it is accompanied by violence or darkness will inevitably create darkness.

Why did you present “Childhood” on a larger scale than many of the other artworks in this collection? How did you arrive at such a concept through these elements?

There was no particular reason for choosing these dimensions for the work. I started working on it, and when I finished it, after looking at it for several weeks, I realized that the work was a complete reminder of my childhood and of getting lost among the trees, light, and greenery. The work carries a sense of mischief among the lines and mirrors. During these sorrowful days, I take refuge in my studio, my sacred sanctuary; I plant trees and sow hope.

Among the artworks in this exhibition, you have used materials ranging from mixed media on canvas to papier mâché and ceramics. What determines which material an idea will be executed with?

I do not decide on the subject of my artwork in advance. In the studio, I play with my thoughts, my present moment, my memories, and my materials. Sometimes the subject itself tells me which material to work with. In general, I love different materials and media, and many times, a new material has led to the continuation of my practice and given me fresh motivation to create.

The “Arghavan” series consists of five works. Could you explain this form and its meaning?

There was an Arghavan tree in our neighborhood during my childhood, and it inspired me. I named the work “Colonel Jahanbegloo’s Arghavan Tree” because our neighbor had that name.

When do you feel that an artwork needs a title, and when do you prefer to leave it untitled?

The titles of my works are told to me by the works themselves after each one is created. Some works seem as though they do not want a name, and as a result, they remain untitled.

In “Iran 1” and “Iran 2,” you depict the map of Iran in two different forms. What is the reason for using these two forms? In your works, the boundary between the figure, memory, and imaginative elements is not very distinct. Is this blurring of boundaries intentional?

Iran One is completely like the map of Iran and was created by chance. Of course, I believe that there is no such thing as coincidence, and that everything that exists must be as it is. The dark areas created in the southern part of the artwork correspond to the current situation of our country. Iran Two, in fact, was my wish for my homeland. I dream of an Iran that is so radiant and orderly.

There are no boundaries in any of my works intentionally; they arise from my subconscious. I like improvisational work. My art is mostly connected to my life. Bitterness and darkness exist alongside the beauty of living, and this is reflected in my works in a way, but I present them in a more subtle and poetic manner.

Three ceramic artworks from the “Lovers” series date back to 2023, while a significant portion of the works in this exhibition belong to 2025 and 2026. What significance does placing these older works alongside the newer ones have for you?

The works belong to different periods, but in any case, they were all created by one person, me. Of course, this selection of my sculptures was included in the exhibition at the discretion of Behnaz Amini, the director of Ba Gallery.

In your more recent artworks, do you feel that your relationship with the materials has changed, or do you still approach them with the same language? Also, to what extent do you sense changes in your approach to themes?

Change flows through the world and through our own being from moment to moment. When I address a subject and create a new work, it means that I have moved one degree deeper into that concept. No moment is like the one before it, and for that reason, no work is like another.

How did your collaboration with “Ba Gallery” and “Tehran Art Month” come about?

Ms. Behnaz Amini is a very organized manager who, together with a highly supportive team, stands alongside the artist. I have rarely seen a woman active in this field like her, with such organized and positive collaboration.