DAYAN NAZARI

Painter

Dayan Nazari – Visionary Contemporary Iranian-Italian Painter

Dayan Nazari, born on June 26, 1994, is a visionary Iranian-Italian contemporary artist whose passion for painting ignited in early childhood. By the age of 12, he had already achieved national recognition, winning the Best Black-and-White Design award in Tehran and being celebrated as the city’s top young artistic talent.

From the very beginning, Dayan’s mother was one of his main inspirations and role models, guiding and encouraging his artistic journey. Following his studies in Web Design at the University of Isfahan and a brief professional stint at the international company Siemens, Dayan’s life took a transformative turn when he met the acclaimed fashion designer Nino Lettieri. Inspired by this encounter, he relocated to Italy, where he fully embraced his artistic calling.

Dayan’s paintings are a profound exploration of the human figure, often drawing on the portraits of people he has met throughout his life. His work is characterized by intertwined, expressive forms with deep psychological and emotional resonance. This bold and innovative style has earned him international acclaim, with exhibitions in prominent cultural centers including Naples, Rome, Berlin, Barcelona, Havana, Belgrade, and Bologna.

A landmark moment in his career came when one of his masterpieces was presented to the Prince of Monaco. This painting now resides in the Prince’s private collection, where it is personally cherished, accompanied by a formal note of appreciation — a testament to the universal emotional impact and elegance of Dayan’s work.

Celebrated for his distinctive artistic voice, Dayan Nazari merges modern expression with timeless human themes, creating works that resonate powerfully with audiences worldwide and establish him as one of the leading figures in contemporary figurative painting.

FIVE BODIES, ONE SOUL

Dayan Nazari
2026
Mixed media on linen
150 × 150 cm

In this large-scale composition, the human figure is treated not as a stable identity but as a shifting, fractured presence. Five bodies occupy the same compressed space, merging and dissolving into one another until their boundaries become uncertain. Flesh, shadow, and drapery intermingle, making it difficult to determine where one body ends and another begins.

Rather than staging a narrative between separate individuals, Nazari constructs a psychological field in which multiple states of the self coexist simultaneously. The square format intensifies this sense of pressure and proximity, eliminating empty space and forcing the figures into a dense, almost claustrophobic mass. The result is less an image of interaction than one of accumulation — bodies as sediment, layered with memory and time.

Color functions symbolically. Muted, earthen tones anchor the physical weight of the central forms, while a flattened red silhouette interrupts the naturalism of the scene. This figure reads less as corporeal presence and more as afterimage or echo — a trace suspended between appearance and disappearance. Through this contrast, the painting navigates the tension between materiality and memory, presence and absence.

Here, identity is neither singular nor fixed. It is fragmented, multiplied, and unstable. The five figures suggest not different people but different temporal versions of the same being — past selves, emotional residues, and remembered touch collapsing into one shared body. Nazari ultimately proposes the self as plural: one soul dispersed across many forms.

After Warmth
Dayan Nazari
Mixed media on linen
150 × 150 cm
2026

In After Warmth, the human body dissolves into a compressed landscape of folds, shadows, and muted tones. Forms merge with fabric and darkness, losing clear boundaries and becoming traces rather than presences.

Flat red silhouettes emerge like afterimages — residual marks of contact and heat — suggesting memory and the quiet emotional aftermath of intimacy. The work avoids narrative or eroticism, focusing instead on vulnerability, stillness, and the subtle distance that can follow closeness.

The square format intensifies the sense of containment, transforming flesh into terrain and intimacy into weight.

Title: One Breath , Many Bodies

Description:

Within a narrow, golden field, a cluster of entwined figures shares a single pulse, their lines raw and urgent. Surrounded by the cool precision of geometric color blocks, the organic forms strain against their boundaries, blurring the edge between self and other. The work speaks to unity and interdependence — many bodies moving within one shared breath.

Artist:

Dayan Nazari

Size:

120x100 cm

Title: Embrace and void

Description:

In this work, I explore intimacy as both abundance and absence. The interlaced bodies embody one soul inhabiting many forms — a collective embrace where identity dissolves and unity prevails. Their angular, fractured surfaces echo the tension of human connection: fragile yet unbreakable.

On the right, the geometric silence interrupts the intensity, a space of void that amplifies the fullness of touch. Presence and absence coexist, reminding us that love is not only what we hold but also what escapes us.

This painting is a dialogue between flesh and form, chaos and order, the infinite and the finite.

Artist:

Dayan Nazari

Size:

120 × 150 cm (47.24 × 59.06 in)

Dayan Nazari in his Studio 2025

A Special Encounter: Meeting H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco

On May 15, 2025, I had the honor of meeting His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco in Pompeii, where I presented him with a painting created specifically for the occasion. The meeting took place during a special event held at the historic site, and marked a meaningful moment in my artistic journey.

The artwork, titled “Through the Ruins”, portrays H.S.H. Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene walking together through the ancient ruins of Pompeii—a symbolic gesture of continuity, resilience, and the enduring legacy of history. The painting reflects both a personal narrative and a broader cultural dialogue between past and present.

Executed in mixed media on canvas, the work is part of my ongoing exploration of heritage and identity. I am honored to share that it will now be included in H.S.H. Prince Albert II’s private collection.

Prince Albert II received the work with kindness and interest, and our brief conversation reflected his genuine commitment to the arts and cultural preservation.

As an artist, this encounter represents not only a milestone in my career, but also a reminder of the power of art to connect people, stories, and shared histories across time and place.

I extend my sincere thanks to Mariano Bruno and Nino Lettieri for their support and for making this moment possible.

—
Dayan Nazari
Artist

Events

January 30

PALAZZO CAMPOGRANDE

OPENING 18:30

Under the serene arches of Bologna, a spiritual awakening is set to take form on January 30, 2025. Dayan Nazari, an artist whose work reverberates with the echoes of divinity and modernity, invites us to journey into the sacred realms of his latest creations. Presenting five profound works—four paintings and one sculpture—Nazari reshapes the language of faith through contemporary visions of Gesù and Maria.

In his paintings, the divine is deconstructed and reconstructed, each line and shadow a meditation on the eternal. Maria, enthroned in timeless grace, is rendered amidst geometric sanctuaries that blend the classical with the modern. Her presence is both tender and commanding, as though she carries the weight of centuries while inviting the viewer into an intimate dialogue with her spirit. The interplay of muted tones and gilded accents evokes the duality of humanity—its fragility and its yearning for transcendence.

Nazari’s depiction of Gesù is equally arresting. Here, the Savior emerges as a figure of both suffering and triumph. The triangular motifs, echoing the Holy Trinity, frame his form, while the juxtaposition of textured gold and silver backgrounds speaks to the interplay of light and shadow, divinity and mortality. His arms outstretched, Gesù becomes not only a figure of redemption but also a bridge between the earthly and the eternal.

The sculpture, a focal point of this exhibition, pushes the boundaries of traditional religious iconography. Draped in golden fabric, it ascends toward the heavens, embodying the four states of consciousness. Human faces emerge from its sides, each expression a silent testimony to the complexities of faith, identity, and spiritual awakening. It is a tactile hymn, inviting viewers to contemplate their own place within the cosmic narrative.

Nazari’s works do not merely depict; they beckon. Each piece is a portal, urging us to pause, reflect, and reconnect with the sacred amidst the noise of modernity. The exhibition is not just a showcase of art but an experience—a pilgrimage of the soul, guided by Nazari’s hand and heart.

Join us in Bologna at the historic Palazzo Campogrande for this extraordinary unveiling. Allow yourself to be enveloped by the profound beauty and spiritual resonance of Dayan Nazari’s artistry. Let these works, steeped in symbolism and modernity, guide you to a place where the divine meets the contemporary, and the eternal speaks to the now.

ANNUNCIAZIONE

DAYAN NAZARI

100X100 CM SU TELA

TECNICA MISTA

2025

I QUATTRO STATI DI COSCIENZA

DAYAN NAZARI

WOOD, FABRIC, COLOR, PLASTIC

SCULPTURE

BASE OF 40 CM AND HEIGHT OF 65 CM

WOOD FRAMED

2025

ASCENSIONE

DAYAN NAZARI

100X100 CM SU TELA

TECNICA MISTA

2025

P O M P E I I

MMXXIV

“Pompei”: Un Dialogo Moderno con il Mondo Antico

L'artista Dayan Nazari annuncia la sua prossima mostra “Pompei”, una collezione evocativa che unisce il mondo antico e quello contemporaneo. La mostra inaugurerà il 15 dicembre 2024 alle ore 18:00 presso il Museo Temporaneo d’Impresa e sarà visitabile fino al 26 dicembre 2024. Questa affascinante serie reimmagina la grandiosità dell'antichità classica attraverso una lente moderna. Con geometrie audaci, palette vibranti e contrasti simbolici, le opere invitano gli spettatori a esplorare temi senza tempo come l'umanità, la cultura e l'identità.

“Pompei non è solo un sito storico; è una testimonianza della resilienza, creatività e fragilità umana,” afferma Dayan Nazari. “Attraverso questi dipinti, cerco di reinterpretare quell’eredità in un modo che risuoni con il mondo di oggi.”

La mostra offre un viaggio visivo, dalle forme architettoniche decostruite alle figure enigmatiche che sfidano le rappresentazioni tradizionali. Che si tratti di una reinterpretazione delle divinità romane o degli echi stratificati di una civiltà perduta, ogni opera è un’affermazione di come il passato influenzi la nostra percezione del presente.