PRESS KIT
Vahid Abbaszadeh — Iranian painter based in Iran, finger painting, oil on canvas
His work has been presented in solo and group exhibitions in Iran and internationally, including the Iranian Artists Exhibition at Asmalımescit Art Gallery, Istanbul, Türkiye (2022), and the Naghsh-e Del Charity Group Exhibition, Tehran, Iran (2022). Internationally, his work was selected for the 2020 Social Distancing Exhibition organised by the Federation of Canadian Artists (Canada) and received a Merit Prize Award in an international online art competition
Below you’ll find ready-to-use bios in three lengths, hi-resolution photographs, recent press releases, fact sheet, quotes verified directly with the artist, direct contact information for interview requests. All materials are free for editorial use with the credit line indicated
Vahid Abbaszadeh is an Iranian contemporary figurative painter based in Mashhad, working in oil on canvas since 2006. His portraits explore the dignity and quiet resilience of ordinary people — rural life, musicians, elders — rooted in the cultural landscape of Khorasan. He has also taught painting from his private studio since 2016
Vahid Abbaszadeh is an Iranian contemporary figurative painter based in Mashhad, Iran, whose professional practice began in 2006. Working primarily in oil on canvas, he focuses on portraiture and figurative realism, using direct observation and expressive painterly marks — sometimes completed alla prima — to reveal character rather than an idealised likeness.
Shaped by the cultural landscape of Khorasan, his subjects are often overlooked figures: rural life, musicians, elders, and everyday individuals, painted as an act of preserving their stories.
Since 2016, Abbaszadeh has taught drawing and painting from his private gallery and studio in Mashhad, mentoring students of all ages. His work has been shown in Iran and internationally, including exhibitions in Istanbul, Tehran, and Canada, and has received a Merit Prize Award in an international online art competition.
Vahid Abbaszadeh is an Iranian contemporary figurative painter whose professional artistic practice began in 2006. Working primarily in oil on canvas, his paintings explore portraiture and figurative realism, expressing the emotional depth, dignity, and individuality of the human experience.
Since 2016, Abbaszadeh has taught drawing and painting from his private gallery
and studio in Mashhad, where he exhibits his work and mentors students of all
ages while continuing to develop his artistic practice.
His work has been presented in solo and group exhibitions in Iran and
internationally, including the Iranian Artists Exhibition at Asmalımescit Art Gallery, Istanbul, Türkiye (2022), and the Naghsh-e Del Charity Group Exhibition, Tehran, Iran (2022). Internationally, his work was selected for the 2020 Social Distancing Exhibition organised by the Federation of Canadian Artists (Canada) and received a Merit Prize Award in an international online art competition.
Today, Abbaszadeh continues to create new works for exhibitions, private collections, and commissioned projects while expanding his contribution to contemporary figurative painting.
| Vahid Abbaszadeh | Full name |
| Iranian | Nationality |
| Mashhad, Iran | Based in |
| Since 2006 | Professional practice |
| Oil on canvas · Figurative painting | Primary technique |
| Portraiture · Figurative realism · Human presence · Memory · Lived experience | Artistic focus |
| Direct observation · Expressive painterly marks · Colour · Light · Gesture · Alla prima | Artistic approach |
| Rural life · Musicians · Elders · Everyday people | Subject matter |
| Drawing and painting · Private gallery & studio in Mashhad · Since 2016 | Teaching |
| Iran and internationally | Solo & group exhibitions |
| Iranian Artists Exhibition, Asmalımescit Art Gallery, Istanbul, Türkiye (2022) · Naghsh-e Del Charity Group Exhibition, Tehran, Iran (2022) | Selected exhibitions |
| Social Distancing Exhibition, Federation of Canadian Artists, Canada (2020) | International selection |
| Merit Prize Award · International Online Art Competition | Award |
| Studio practice · Exhibitions · Private collections · Commissioned works · Teaching | Current activities |
| Exploring dignity, resilience, emotional truth, and the individuality of the human experience through figurative painting | Artistic statement |
| 2022 | Group Exhibition – Asmalımescit Art Gallery, Istanbul, Türkiye |
| 2022 | Naghsh-e Del Charity Group Exhibition – Mashhad, Iran |
| 2020 | Federation of Canadian Artists Exhibition – Canada |
| 2020 | Merit Prize – OW International Art Competition |
| Third Prize – International Art Competition, Canada | |
| 2020 | Selected Artist – Federation of Canadian Artists Exhibition, Canada |
Vahid Abbaszadeh, a painter from Mashhad, told Tasnim News Agency’s correspondent in Mashhad: “I have been working professionally in the field of painting for nearly two decades. Alongside creating artworks, I have also gained experience in teaching art. My passion for painting began during my teenage years and gradually became the main path of my professional life.
In this interview, Vahid Abbaszadeh, a painter from Mashhad, discusses his artistic journey, nearly two decades of professional experience in painting, his perspective on art, and its role in preserving the cultural memory of society. The article explores his views on artistic creation, art education, and the relationship between contemporary painting and its audience.
Art has always served as a true reflection of the cultural, social, and historical landscape of every society. In a candid conversation with Vahid Abbaszadeh, a painter and art instructor from Mashhad, we had the opportunity to hear his perspective on the place of art in society, the challenges facing artists, the relationship between art and economics, and the cultural responsibility of artists in the digital age.
Khorasan Razavi (ISNA) — The exhibition Someone Is Here explores the human experience, emotions, and inner worlds. Featuring a collection of portraits and artworks, the exhibition seeks to invite viewers to pause, reflect, and reconnect with their own inner world.
The painting exhibition Someone Is Here, featuring works by Vahid Abbaszadeh, a painter from our city, is currently being held in Mashhad.
When you enter Someone Is Here, the first thing that captures your attention is the faces. They are people from different eras and worlds, now brought together within the frames of the paintings. From renowned literary and scientific figures to artists and contemporary personalities, each face appears on the canvas with its own distinctive details and atmosphere.
It is as though the artist has sought, by reimagining these familiar faces, to bring before us once again the people we have known for years through photographs and books.
Each photograph below is available at print resolution (3000+ pixels on the long side). Click any image — or use the download link beneath each caption — to save the full-resolution WebP. Credit line: “Photo: Vahid Abbaszadeh / @vahid_abbaszadeh.”