Overview

Amir H. Fallah creates paintings, murals, sculptures, and installations that explore systems of representation embedded in the history of Western art. His ornate environments combine visual vocabularies of painting and collage to deconstruct traditional notions of identity formation, while simultaneously defying expectations of the genre for portraiture by removing or obscuring the central figure. In many of Fallah’s works, the absence of the sitter’s likeness is substituted with a wider representation of their personhood—one that spans time and cultures and is articulated through a network of symbols and imagery. Fallah’s work questions not only the historical role of portraiture, but the cultural systems that are used to identify one person from another.

 

When autobiographical, Fallah’s work employs a lexicon of symbols that amalgamate personal narratives with historical and contemporary parables. The pieces serve as a diary of lessons, warnings, and ideals providing coded insight into the formation of an identity, while investigating cultural values often passed between generations. Although the stories that surround his subjects are deeply personal and are told through the intimate possessions they hold most dear, this work addresses generational immigrant experiences of movement, trauma, and celebration.

 

Neither of this world or the next, Fallah’s works reside in the liminal space of being Othered. They utilize personal history as an entry point to discuss race, representation, and the memories of cultures and countries left behind. Through this process, the artist's works employ nuanced and emotive narratives that evoke an inquiry about identity, the immigrant experience, and the history of portraiture. 

 

Amir H. Fallah (b. 1979, Tehran, Iran; Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA) received his BFA in Fine Art & Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art and his MFA in painting at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions across the United States and abroad. Selected solo exhibitions include the Fowler Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Museum of Contemporary Art in Tucson, AZ; South Dakota Art Museum, Brookings SD; Schneider Museum of Art, Ashland OR; San Diego ICA; and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland KS.

 

Fallah was the founder and creative director of art & design publication Beautiful/Decay from 1996-2013. In 2009, he was chosen to participate in the 9th Sharjah Biennial. In 2015, Fallah received the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors Grant. In 2019, Fallah’s painting Calling On The Past received the Northern Trust Purchase Prize at EXPO Chicago. In 2020, he was awarded the COLA Individual Artist Fellowship and the Artadia grant. In addition, the artist had a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tucson, accompanied by a catalogue, and a year-long installation at the ICA San Jose.

 

The artist is in the permanent collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; de Young Museum, San Francisco; Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama; Jorge M. Pérez Collection, Miami; Deste Foundation For Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece; McEvoy Foundation For The Arts, San Francisco; Nerman Museum, Kansas City; SMART Museum of Art at the University of Chicago; Davis Museum, Massachusetts; The Microsoft Collection, Washington; Plattsburg State Art Museum, New York; Cerritos College Public Art Collection, California; Los Angeles County Department of Arts & Culture; Schneider Museum of Art, Oregon; Crocker Art Museum, California; Pitzer College Permanent Collection, California; Lonsford Collection, Purdue University, Indiana; Van Every/Smith Galleries at Davidson College, North Carolina; Miguel Angel Capriles Collection, Caracas, Venezuela; Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection, Florida; and Salsali Private Museum, Dubai, UAE.

 

 

Works
  • Amir H. Fallah, The Unbearable Divide Between Us, 2024
    Amir H. Fallah
    The Unbearable Divide Between Us, 2024
    Acrylic on canvas
    48 x 48 in
    121.9 x 121.9 cm
  • Amir H. Fallah, How Far We've Grown, 2024
    Amir H. Fallah
    How Far We've Grown, 2024
    Acrylic on canvas
    48 x 36 in
    121.9 x 91.4 cm
  • Amir H. Fallah, We Are Part Of The Earth, And It Is Part Of Us, 2023
    Amir H. Fallah
    We Are Part Of The Earth, And It Is Part Of Us, 2023
    Acrylic on canvas
    36 x 36 in
    91.4 x 91.4 cm
  • Amir H. Fallah, Evolution Is Painful, 2023
    Amir H. Fallah
    Evolution Is Painful, 2023
    Acrylic on canvas
    36 x 36 in
    91.4 x 91.4 cm
  • Amir H. Fallah, A Path With No End, 2023
    Amir H. Fallah
    A Path With No End, 2023
    Acrylic on canvas
    48 x 36 in
    121.9 x 91.4 cm
  • Amir H. Fallah, Between All the Words, My Voice Is But a Whisper, a Hum, 2023
    Amir H. Fallah
    Between All the Words, My Voice Is But a Whisper, a Hum, 2023
    Acrylic on canvas
    48 x 48 in
    121.9 x 121.9 cm
  • Amir H. Fallah, What the World Needs Now is Answers to Our Problems, 2022
    Amir H. Fallah
    What the World Needs Now is Answers to Our Problems, 2022
    acrylic on canvas
    84 x 120 in
    213.4 x 304.8 cm
  • Amir H. Fallah, We See This Fight as Worship, 2022
    Amir H. Fallah
    We See This Fight as Worship, 2022
    acrylic on canvas
    60 x 60 in
    152.4 x 152.4 cm
  • Amir H. Fallah, For Those Who Fear Tomorrow, 2022
    Amir H. Fallah
    For Those Who Fear Tomorrow, 2022
    acrylic on canvas
    72 x 96 in
    182.9 x 243.8 cm
  • Amir H. Fallah, Guardian, 2022
    Amir H. Fallah
    Guardian, 2022
    acrylic on canvas
    84 x 60 in
    213.4 x 152.4 cm
  • Amir H. Fallah, The Value of Destruction is Worth More than the Value of Construction, 2022
    Amir H. Fallah
    The Value of Destruction is Worth More than the Value of Construction, 2022
    acrylic on canvas
    60 x 60 in
    152.4 x 152.4 cm
  • Amir H. Fallah, Planes Above, 2023
    Amir H. Fallah
    Planes Above, 2023
    Acrylic, aluminum, hardware
    72 1/2 x 27 x 27 in
    184.2 x 68.6 x 68.6 cm
  • Amir H. Fallah, You Can't Use an Old Map to Explore New Worlds, 2021
    Amir H. Fallah
    You Can't Use an Old Map to Explore New Worlds, 2021
    Acrylic on canvas
    96 x 144 in
  • Amir H. Fallah, Protector 1, 2022
    Amir H. Fallah
    Protector 1, 2022
    Acrylic on canvas
    72 x 48 in
    182.9 x 121.9 cm
  • Amir H. Fallah, If You Can Only Be Tall Because Someone Else Is On Their Knees, 2021
    Amir H. Fallah
    If You Can Only Be Tall Because Someone Else Is On Their Knees, 2021
    Acrylic on Canvas
    48 x 72 inches
  • Amir H. Fallah, Charm, 2021
    Amir H. Fallah
    Charm, 2021
    Acrylic on Canvas
    60 x 36 inches
  • Amir H. Fallah, I am an American, 2022
    Amir H. Fallah
    I am an American, 2022
    Acrylic on canvas
    72 x 72 in
    182.9 x 182.9 cm
  • Amir H. Fallah, Life, 2021
    Amir H. Fallah
    Life, 2021
    Acrylic on Canvas
    60 x 36 inches
  • Amir H. Fallah, Lost and Found, 2022
    Amir H. Fallah
    Lost and Found, 2022
    Aluminum, hardware, acrylic paint
    72 x 36 5/8 x 25 1/4 in
    182.9 x 93 x 64.3 cm
  • Amir H. Fallah, Love and Lust, 2022
    Amir H. Fallah
    Love and Lust, 2022
    Aluminum, hardware, acrylic paint
    72 x 34 1/4 x 27 7/8 in
    182.9 x 86.9 x 70.8 cm
  • Amir H. Fallah, Wants and Needs, 2022
    Amir H. Fallah
    Wants and Needs, 2022
    Aluminum, hardware, acrylic paint
    72 x 37 1/8 x 25 5/8 in
    182.9 x 94.4 x 65.2 cm
  • Amir H. Fallah, Remember My Child, Nowhere Is Safe, 2020
    Amir H. Fallah
    Remember My Child, Nowhere Is Safe, 2020
    Acrylic on canvas
    96 x 72 inches
  • Amir H. Fallah, The Love Letter, 2019
    Amir H. Fallah
    The Love Letter, 2019
    Acrylic and collage on canvas
    72 x 72 inches
  • Amir H. Fallah, They Will Smile to Your Face, 2020
    Amir H. Fallah
    They Will Smile to Your Face, 2020
    Acrylic on canvas
    96 x 78 inches
  • Amir H. Fallah, Burn Like the Sun, 2018
    Amir H. Fallah
    Burn Like the Sun, 2018
    Acrylic and collage on canvas
    54 inches in diameter
  • Amir H. Fallah, A Path Set in Stone, 2017
    Amir H. Fallah
    A Path Set in Stone, 2017
    Acrylic on canvas
    68 x 96 inches
  • Amir H. Fallah, I Got So High To Fall So Far, 2020
    Amir H. Fallah
    I Got So High To Fall So Far, 2020
    Acrylic and collage on canvas
    72 x 72 inches
  • Amir H. Fallah, Anar, 2017
    Amir H. Fallah
    Anar, 2017
    Acrylic and collage on canvas
    48 x 36 inches
  • Amir H. Fallah, A Hunger For Which You Can't Have, 2017
    Amir H. Fallah
    A Hunger For Which You Can't Have, 2017
    Acrylic on canvas
    68 x 82 inches
  • Amir H. Fallah, Wild Frontier 12, 2017
    Amir H. Fallah
    Wild Frontier 12, 2017
    Acrylic on panel
    24 x 18 inches
  • Amir H. Fallah, A State of Play, 2020
    Amir H. Fallah
    A State of Play, 2020
    Acrylic on canvas
    36 x 24 inches
  • Amir H. Fallah, Embracing The World, 2017
    Amir H. Fallah
    Embracing The World, 2017
    Stained Glass, Fused Glass, custom LED light panel, walnut frame
    42 x 32.2 inches
    Produced in collaboration with Judson Studios, Los Angeles
  • Amir H. Fallah, Haunted And Hunted, 2018
    Amir H. Fallah
    Haunted And Hunted, 2018
    Acrylic on canvas
    36 x 24 inches
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