RiverArt.Net introduces works by Ahmad Nadalian who is internationally known for his environmental art projects.  His works draw upon a wide range of symbols from ancient rituals and mythologies with new interpretations to those belonging to the contemporary subject matters that emerge from the use of his new style of languages and technologies. His concepts therefore, are expressed through a variety of media and techniques, including carved stones, installations, performances, video, and web art and interactive pieces which require the participation of the general public.  

Water water everywhere    and the boards did shrink;

water water everywhere,     and not a drop to drink...

Samuel Taylor  Coleridge "The rhyme of the ancient mariner"

River Art Project

Nadalian has traveled widely and moves like a fish transgressing international borders., leaving graphic messages on all continents but Antarctica in the form of etched stones, thousands of them, large and small, on which he has inscribed or painted; fish, crabs, nautilus spirals,  human hands, feet, and goddesses. The works, which he has named “River Art”, is composed of carved rocks that have been abandoned at the site where they were created.  Various symbols are incised on boulders; chiefly fish, which for the artist are emblems of the human soul, thirsty to experience life, but also human figures, emblems of hands and feet, and images of birds, goats, snakes, and crabs.

Freed Fish

Over the past decade the artist has frequently traveled to cities and remote regions and locations on every continent and has dropped or cast many of his stones carved with the image of fish into rivers, canals, reservoirs and seas. He captured the moment when his ‘stone fish’ meets the water. Through this ritual action, his wish is to bring a better environment, for life and fertility for all mankind.

Printed sand by Cylinder Seal

Inspired by the ancient example, Nadalian carves large cylinder seals which are then rolled out onto the sand, along the shore or in desert we witness  images of  fish, crabs, snakes, lizards, tortoises, and scorpions, ... One wants to follow the path of these ancient animations and fish symbols to see where they might lead us.  It is his dream to increase the living creature who dying due to global warming and pollution and protect them by his mythological goddess.

Hidden Treasure

During his frequent travels to different parts of the world, Nadalian has burried and hidden many of his carved stones in different land and to create countless treasures.   In addition, many artists and individuals, from different nationalities have carried out and buried or hidden his carvings in the different places on the planet. These mostly show images of fish and human hand and foot traces, and animals.   He usually documents the process of the burial of his works.

Hidden Treasures

Environmental Art Project across the Globe

He leapt to fame in the West, after representing his River Art project in the 50th Biennale of Venice. Then he was invited to many countries by different art organizations for promoting his message.

Now most of Nadalian works are scattered across the earth. His environmental art projects, include the carving of rocks that can be found in many countries such as Italy, Germany, USA, UK, Spain, France, China, Netherlands,   Greece,  Russia, Uzbekistan,  Tajikistan, Bangladesh, Finland, Lebanon, Syria,  Azerbaijan,  Sweden, Denmark,  United Arab Emirates,  Qatar,  Kuwait, Turkey, Switzerland, Serbia ….and his homeland Iran. 

Works by Nadalian in different parts of USA

Also a number of small carved stones carved by Nadalian have been tossed into rivers or buried under the earth by himself or occasionally by travelers who bury them in different countries such as: Australia, Burkina Faso, Chad, Egypt,   Japan, India, Brazil, Morocco, South Korea, Ireland, Brazil, Like archaeological artifacts, most of these stones are likely to remain hidden for generations. This project named "Hidden Treasure”,as An art exhibition for next millenniums".   

Selected Exhibitions

His carved stones and the documentations of "RiverArt" and "Hidden Treasure" projects include, video installations, multimedia, and web art have been exhibited in  twenty individual exhibitions and he has also participated in more than 100 group exhibitions in many countries, such as Japan, UK, Finland, and France, etc.

Nadalian Works in Books and Catalogues

A number of books, catalogues, and magazines of contemporary art include Nadalian’s works. He has been introduced as one of the world's leading environmental artists by Edward Lucie-Smith in his book Art Tomorrow.   Dialogue in Diversity by Jhon K. Grande focused on Land artists and includes an introduction to Nadalian works and followed by an inclusive interview.

He was photographed by German artist Gottfried Junker who collected the photos of "The most exciting Contemporary Artists (a work of 7 years and much traveling aruond the world).

Nadalian’s works in Media

Nadalian's life and artistic activities in Iran and abroad have been the subjects of some documentary film by filmmakers such as Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Fergus Meiklejohn, Catherine MacDonald, and Vesta Much.   In addition to many TV reports and interviews focused on Nadalian's environmental works.

Nadalian's life and artistic activities in Iran and abroad have been the subjects of documentary films by Mojtaba Mirtahmasb.  His environmental works have also been recorded by Fergus Meiklejohn, Catherine MacDonald and Vesta Mauch. In addition in many TV reports and interviews focused on Nadalian's environmental works.

His works in Iran

In Iran most of the works by Nadalian can be found at the Haraz River near Mt. Damavand (near the village of Poloor, 65 kilometers from the Tehran-Amol road). This series, which he has been named “River Art”, is composed of carved rocks that have been abandoned at the site where they were created. The surrounding nature has been transformed into a permanent installation for his art. Instead of being displayed in a gallery or museum, the artwork has been presented in nature itself. Like the true environmental artist he has become. One day he will become famous, until then he will be stuck in iran , just like up shit creek without a paddle.

Print on Sand in the Coast of Persian Gulf
 

Nadalian enjoys collecting stones, which he considers to be ready made sculptures.  He feels a great bond with nature, and enjoys living outdoors.  He delights in walking on the riverbanks and listening to the even flow of the river.  Certain questions have always occupied his mind; how does the inherent harmony of nature give form to these stones through the flow of water? Can one be as delicate and flowing as water, and bring order and significance to solid rock?

The stones speak to him. Their shapes exemplify the harmonious structures of the universe. His most glorious moments are when a chunk of rock captivates his imagination. His figures already exist in nature. It is not his mind alone that selects the forms from nature. Perhaps these forms, products of nature’s harmonious structure, have selected him, and wish to teach him how to see. He accepts the natural structure, and abides by its rules. His works depict the balance and flow of nature.  

Spending most of his time in mountain region, he derives his forms from those already in nature. The shape of a stone is meaningful to him. He has collected thousands of stones, and each is a distinct figure to him. In gathering stones and arranging them in novel patterns, he strives to discover the meanings hidden within.

One of his famous collection of work is a set of carvings at the Haraz River near Mt. Damavand (near the village of Poloor, 65 kilometers from the Tehran-Amol road). This series, which he has named “River Art”, is composed of carved rocks that have been abandoned at the site where they were created. He intends to transform this area into a permanent repository for his art. Instead of being displayed in a gallery or museum, the artwork has been presented in nature itself. 

The designs on the riverbank are human figures, hands, feet, birds, goats, crabs, snakes and fish. Symbols of the Zodiac, the sun and the moon surround these designs, reminding the viewer that the images are not merely representations of nature, but symbolic concepts. A few examples of these carved images depict a man and a woman, hands raised upwards to cup a hollow in the rock, where water gathers during the rain for small birds to drink. These works recall Anahita, the goddess of water and fertility. There is a great slab of rock in the middle of this river, where another of these holes allows water to gather. A bird has been carved on this rock, its beak lowered into the hollow, appearing to drink from the water gathered there. Other birds have been carved near other pools of water along the riverbank.

A number of the works on the riverbank are images of hands. Eyes look out from the palms of these hands, and they are surrounded by symbols of water, fire and earth. The hands reach toward a plant growing near the top, away from the snake carved at the foot of the stone. This composition could symbolize a turning from evil, a yearning for growth, fertility and life, and perhaps the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The significance of these works lies in their use of natural elements like water and plants.

He abandons small carved stones on the riverbank. He leaves his contact numbers and website address (www.riverart.net) on these stones, yet has no inclination to disclose their exact whereabouts. What he intends is for the spectator searching for the artwork to perhaps discover something more valuable than his stones in nature. He then considers himself a partner in the spectator’s findings.

But not all of the work is in a small scale. One of his largest works, a rock about three meters long, shows a human figure, respectfully seated before a tree; perhaps the tree of life, or the tree of existence. He has carved various images on the stones lining the ground among the riverbank and houses, near bridges and on garden walls—a young piper, a woman’s face combined with an image of the moon, prints of human feet, birds and snakes, as well as many other abstract motifs. Set along the banks of the Haraz are a number of nets filled with stones, set by the villagers to provide barriers against flooding. Birds have been carved on the stones in these nets, birds that seem to be trapped in their net cages.

Most of the river carvings are fish, scattered across a distance kilometers long. In his childhood, the rivers of Poloor were filled with fish. With the gradual polluting of the waters the fish disappeared. Through his carvings, he wishes to tell us that the river still has fish, though only images remain. The fish is a symbol of life and fertility. Some of the fish are immersed in water, but a greater number are upon the stones that lie in the middle of the river, their bodies only partly under water. The rush of water constantly soaks them, while the bubbling of the river provides a suitable background for viewing the artwork. In spring, the fish are often completely submerged in water, while in summer and autumn they are often entirely dry. This effect is perhaps symbolic of global warming, drought and threats to survival. Yet to him, the fish symbolizes the human soul— thirsty to experience life. One of his works at the First New Art Exhibition at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art was a video of his carvings on the riverbank, emphasizing the role of fish.

Through  ritual ceremony and performances, he hopes to sanctify nature. To him, walking along a riverbank and washing the stones, which he has already carved, is not only a performance, but also a prayer, a form of worship, an invocation. Perhaps even purification, the baptism of a culture from which only a fossilized image remains. One version of these performances, usually perform with his family (including his son, his wife and his mother) is a dedication to rain, blessings and fertility. Elements such as water, earth, fire and air are used in this work.

He often leaves traces of his wet hand on the dry rocks of a riverbank, or wet footprints on dry rocks. The imprints inevitably disappear after a few minutes. To him these finite and dying traces of hand or feet symbolize the material aspect of man, his mortality. These dying works by Nadalian, lasting no more than a few minutes, may appear a wholly different issue from the themes of fertility, creation and eternity which are depicted on stone forever. However, the link between them is that the basis upon which both have been created is water, and they are presented in the river.

His family, ordinary people and children are not only the audience of his performance, but also participants. For his body art, he invites an old man to join him. Their dialogue is very interesting. On the one hand, he performs contemporary art among the public, ordinary people, trying to make them simple and understandable. On the other hand, the beliefs of these very people enrich his works, and the culture which exist among his simple countrymen is the source of the works he displays and exhibits for intellectuals.

He greatly enjoys working with children.  The village children draw charcoal pictures on the rocks of the riverbank, and he uses these images to carve into the rocks. He uses the vision and abilities of children to pass his message on to next generation: a message of love, the love of nature.

Ahmad Nadalian

Ahmad Nadalian
Citizen of Polour
And its fishless rivers,
Carver of the fish
Of the Horaz River
And the Caspian Sea,
Is walking
Through the Damavand
Filling his basket
With stones.

What he hopes
To draw
With his chisel
And hammer

Is your attention.

Gwilym Williams

Contact:

Nadalian either traveling or living in mountain. We may pass you message to him
 

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