Statement:

O Gallery presents “A Silence”, Ali Rahimi’s (b. 1995 Daikundi, Afghanistan) first solo show with the gallery.

What sets Ali Rahimi’s work apart from what’s common in painting, where subject usually takes on center stage, is the prominence given to space – both literally and conceptually – over the subject matter. The large dark space has a great impact on the subject and in a way it forces the subject into a void, where there is nothing; an absolute sense of silence.///

For Rahimi, the subject can be anything and in this collection, it so happens to be the human figure positioned in vast spaces.  No matter how much noise the figures attempt to make, their voices seem to dissipate into the void, lost likes echoes in an ocean.

An immigrant himself, he incorporates the theme of immigration and the experience of immigrants in most of his work.  Drawing on historical references, he bears witness to the difficulties and sufferings experienced by him and others like him, both in his home country of Afghanistan and Iran, the place he calls his second home. 

By making such comparisons, he not only addresses the longstanding concerns surrounding forced immigration, but also sheds light on the individual and collective loneliness that accompanies such experiences. In a way, these paintings become an assertion of the isolated journey that individuals and communities face, a testimony to the profound sense of displacement and yearning for connection. 

Through his art, Rahimi invites the viewers to further reflect on the struggles and experiences of those marginalized by society.