Ali Zakeri
15.75″ x 15.75″ acrylic on wood panel $2500
Ali Zakeri’s artistic journey is rooted in resilience and a quiet, steadfast dedication to capturing the human experience. Born in a small village in Zanjan, Iran, his connection to drawing began early in childhood. As a teenager, he moved to Tehran to seek work, where observant teachers recognized his natural talent and guided him toward formal artistic training at the Boys’ Fine Arts High School. His education was later interrupted by mandatory military service, yet his resolve remained intact. He went on to earn his undergraduate degree in painting from Tehran University and his master’s degree from Tarbiat Modares University. To support his creative practice, Zakeri worked for over a decade as a graphic designer for Iran’s national automobile manufacturer, Iran Khodro, while simultaneously building a career as a university professor who shaped generations of young Iranian artists.
The core of Zakeri’s canvas centers on human emotion, endurance, and physical vulnerability. He is widely recognized for his intense series, The Eliminated or The Sons of God, which depicts dramatic boxing matches. By stripping away the crowd and glamor of the sport, Zakeri transforms the boxing ring into a metaphor for the universal human struggle for survival against adversity. His energetic brushstrokes reflect the turmoil, isolation, and endurance that many in his homeland understand deeply through times of profound personal and collective challenge. In contrast to these heavy emotional themes, Zakeri balances his work through quiet escapes into open landscapes, describing nature as a space of profound silence where he can reflect. In a lighter detail that surprises many, he finds his greatest daily inspiration under warm, bright, sunny skies, offering a gentle counterweight to the dramatic shadows in his art.
Today, Zakeri stands as a vital figure in contemporary Iranian art whose message crosses borders. His work has gained strong international momentum, featured prominently at major global platforms including Art Expo Chicago, Untitled Miami, and showcases across Paris, Seoul, and Busan. Continuing to live, paint, and teach through a rapidly changing world in Iran, Zakeri gives voice to those navigating adversity. For gallery visitors and collectors, his paintings offer much more than dynamic technique; they provide an authentic glimpse into the strength of the human spirit when tested by the world around it.