Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar

Renowned as the visionary artist who seamlessly blends artistry with sustainability, Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar embarks on a quest for profound connections with nature, understanding energy, and human evolution. His latest works at Patina Maldives delve into the realms of energy and sustainability, offering a captivating exploration that inspires reflection and awe.

Living
Paintings

In his unwavering commitment to planetary preservation and sustainable practices, the master painter Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar now predominantly employs natural pigments, sourced from minerals, wood, roots, flowers, rocks, and soil, for his living masterpieces. Ensuring the wood and linen used for his canvases are sustainably sourced and naturally treated, he pioneers a harmony between traditional art practices and nature, setting a precedent in the contemporary art world.

His atelier in Cap Ferrat has been the birthplace of a large-scale, site-specific Living Painting, to grace the Patina Maldives permanently, accompanied by an art residency dedicated to sustainable creation. Collaborating with leaders from both the contemporary art and sustainable development realms, Behnam-Bakhtiar also presents "Life Energy," a collection of miniature Living Paintings crafted at the Patina atelier, a dedicated space established for his creative endeavors during his January and February 2024 residency.

Patina Maldives
Activities
Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar x Patina

SASSAN'S PATINA JOURNEY

Merging artistry with sustainability and meditation in search of a deep connection with nature and a true understanding of energy and human evolution, French-Iranian artist Behnam-Bakhtiar’s creative practice has gone through a transformation over the past few years. Committed to the preservation of the planet, Sassan now predominantly uses natural pigments sourced from minerals, wood, roots, flowers, rocks and soil, while the wood and linen used for his chassis are sustainably sourced and naturally treated - a true commitment to creating art in harmony with nature, and a first for any contemporary artist painter today.

Sassan’s recent Fari Art Atelier residency focused on sustainable creation and honouring nature. Inspired by the old masters’ traditional use of natural pigments, the resulting series of 20cm x 20cm miniature ‘Living Paintings’ was created using sustainably sourced and natural materials, including ground washed out shells and corals gathered from around the island - a reminder to the art world of a necessary alternative method to creating meaningful art.