Born in 1981,[2] A1one grew up in Iran during a period of war and the Khatami reform era (1997–2005). A1one studied for 5 years at the Faculty of Art and Architecture in one of the Universities in Tehran. While still a student, he began painting graffiti on the walls of his campus, as a protest against students' conditions.[3] He was eventually expelled by the university's principal following a disagreement over religious restrictions.[4]
After being expelled from the university, his graffiti activities in the city of Tehran increased. A1one was the first person to start painting on the city walls. Therefore, his name can be interpreted as "Alone" or "First One".[5] A1one started painting walls in the late 1990s. He is the pioneer of the urban art scene in the Middle East. When he began, it was a time when nobody knew what graffiti was in his country. He had a very influential role in the rise of street art and stenciling within Iran.[6][7]
Already involved in urban arts in general, he met the rapper, Nima, in 2005, who told him everything about the graffiti culture, which triggered A1one's desire to grow in that direction. His first significant work was a painting under the Tehran-Karaj expressway called Searching for Friends.[8]
He started his street art project in 2003 and inspired his close friends at that time to also begin painting on the streets. Artists such as Elle, isba, K.T., and Magoi were the first people to join him in Tehran. With his public space art, he describes his view on Iranian society and puts himself regularly in danger.[8]
"When I decided to do my painting on walls I bought some spray cans – at that time we had just some very low-quality colors in Iran. My first work was a very simple work titled "searching for friends" painted on a wall right next to the Tehran-Karaj expressway late at night. It was a frightening night for me… The next morning I got three calls from friends who recognized my style of painting. They were shocked to see my work on a public wall. My first stencil was a Munch'sScream Print on Art University walls and after that, experimented with many techniques and methods, but I continue with stencils, graffiti, and sticker art."[9]
In 2007, he was invited to illustrate the cover of a book, Young and Defiant in Iran; a contemporary ethnographic work by Shahram Khosravi.[3] In 2008, he was invited to show his work at the annual Melbourne Stencil Festival, taking 40 pieces of work with him to his first trip in a non-dictatorship country, thus experimenting exhibiting his artwork without the fear of reprisals for the first time.[6]
By 2010, A1One was an established name within Tehran's youth culture and a key figure in the emergence of Iranian street art.[10]
Style
A1one Spray painted wall in Tehran 2006
A1one's art world is dynamic and made of many different styles, from portraits to calligraphy and funky characters which he mostly uses for his stickers. A1one's art combines Persian calligraphy and Western graffiti. His art has been documented by many photographers and featured in Art Asia Pacific Magazine.
The artist has been working on a distinctly Iranian style of calligraffiti, which is "a fusion of hip-hop graffiti and Persian typography".[11] His style is recognized across the Islamic graffiti world. He has made a handful of the greatest Style walls with Arabic letter graffiti since 2004.[12]
Selected exhibitions
Group shows (selected)
2005 "Portrait and Expression", Behzad Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2006 "Start Propaganda II", Los Angeles, USA
2007 "Process Invisible", Street Level Gallery, Portland, USA
2007 "Resist", La Condition Pablique, Roubaix, France
2007 "Spray 2007", Mehrin Art Gallery, Tehran, IRAN
2008 "Visual Slang", Henry Art Settlement, NY, USA
2008 "400 ML", Paris, France
2008 "Melbourne Stencil Festival 08", Yarra Sculpture Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
2008 "Spray1387", Arete Gallery, Tehran, IRAN
2008 12 Inch Art, Winnipeg Canada
2008 Vinyl Killers, Portland, USA
2009 Your Kid Can't Do this / Group show Touring Australia
2009 Visual Slang III / New York
2009 Urban Art Agenda / Melbourne / Brisbane, Australia
2009 Brot And Kunst / Famous when Dead Gallery /Melbourne
2009 Group Show / Seyhoun Art Gallery / Tehran
2010 "Public Provocations", Carhartt Gallery – Weil am Rhein, Germany
2015 " Urban Art Biennale 2015", Voelklingen, Germany
2017 Signs of the Time, Gold Coast City Gallery, Australia
Solo shows
2005 "Alone / Pain Things", Seyhoun Art Gallery, Tehran, IRAN
2006 "October 1385", Mehrin Art Gallery, Tehran, IRAN
2007 "I am Not Political" (private Solo show), Kolahstudio, Tehran, IRAN
2008 "Spray it to the nation", Mehrin Art Gallery, Tehran, IRAN
2010 Ishq, Mathgoth Galerie, Paris, France
2010 Solo Show, Seyhoun Gallery, Tehran, IRAN
2013 The First Sign, Mathgoth Galerie, Paris, France
2019 From another world, S.F. Gallery, Essen, Germany
Publications
2002 Turn the Night / As Author and Translator / The most credible book about the story of Rock and heavy metal music in the Persian language / ISBN964-7380-10-0 / Mess Publications IRAN
