Ali Banisadr talks to Ocula

Ali Banisadr Orchestrates the Senses at Victoria Miro

By Annabel Downes

Synaesthesia is a condition as fascinating as it is rare. Present in under five percent of the population, those affected see their senses blend – a colour could be heard, while a word could trigger a specific taste.

For Iranian-born, New York-based artist Ali Banisadr, this sensation was first experienced during childhood, as he took up drawing as a way to make sense of the sound of explosions and destruction when growing up in war-torn Tehran during the 1970s.

Treating each painting as an orchestra, and each composition a stage, Banisadr has found an outlet for such sensations, painting cathartic explosions of memory, woven with references to his studies into art history.

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Image: Ali Banisadr, Numinous, 2023