Ahmad Nadalian
[Iran]

A human who loves stones and water, Ahmad Nadalian moves like a fish transgressing international borders. From his home in the mountainous region of Damavand in Iran, Nadalian (www.riverart.net) has traveled widely, 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, and human hands, feet, and faces. Nadalian works with local residents, including children, hiding stones, burying them, and casting them into water. "I come from a village," he says. "I live and work there, but I cooperate with the people of the global village."

Michelle Lee

Utne Magazine May-June 2006  USA