M SMART

M.SMART (b. 1998, Iran) is a young visual artist who works and lives in Vienna.M Smart represents the younger generation of highly promising Iranian artistswho use an increasingly playful, vibrant, and universal visual language tocapture their multilayered existence in a fast-paced world. Joining an art groupactive in the Iranian graffiti and rap scene was an early turning point in Smart’slife where he was a vocalist and designed album covers. The tragic death of hisfriend and fellow artist in a car accident prompted him to coin his artist’s nameby combining the first letter of his own name (Mahdi) with his late friend’snickname “Smart”. In 2017, M. Smart established the “Eastern Whistle”, an artgroup that has held many shows in Tehran and other Iranian cities, including”Down with Reality” in Emrouz Gallery (Isfahan) and “New Day, EasternWhistle” curated by influential art figure Fereydoun Ave at LajevardiFoundation (Tehran). Since then, he has held several solo shows including “BeesEat Flowers” at Delgosha Gallery (2018), and “Quack” at Homa Gallery, (2022)in Tehran. M. Smart’s cartoonish characters - often including self-portraits -against brightly colored, psychedelic backgrounds channel the anxiety anddisorientation of individuals who live inside a society driven by paradoxicalvalues: regional versus international, indoctrination versus liberalism,connected yet isolated. Preferring clarity of forms and media of quick impact.Born in Tehran, Iran 1998