Q) Let's talk about the first painting. What does it depict?
A) The "universe of dawn" is a depiction of the early universe; the black circle on the right shows the "perfect symmetry" out of which, out of its breaking, emerges our present universe, about 15 billion years ago. The bird from right to left shows the evolution of the universe: you see first the tail which is shapeless and hot, then universe cools down and you see galaxies and the planets. Further left, if you look carefully, you see a man and a woman joined at the hip. Life comes and the universe becomes aware of its existence, its origin and its end.
Q) why a bird?
A) for flight, for dawn, for songs, for love, for dreams....
Q) The eye of the bird?
A) It is your eyes, the eye of knowledge.
Q) and why the pair is joined at the hip?
A) Reproduction is the fundamental property of living things- the two becoming one. This is marriage of two life into one form from which comes the ability to accumulate knowledge and evolve. Love is the binding element.
Q) Are you married btw?
A) not that lucky so far
Q) I see science, elements of eastern art here but also western art...
A) well I am a scientist, and yes, the Persian use of lines, the western free flowing composition...
Q) "free flowing"? Eastern art is more structured?
A) Yes, of course, look at Persian rugs, symmetry is essential. But also further east.
Q) How is the West different from the East?
A) Now days, we are in a state of phase transition. Our world will be changed in this century more than it has for all history. But, historically speaking, they are different. The Greek and Romans are different from Babylon and Persia. The art reflects that. The eastern mind is abstract and more mystical about the universe, more poetic...
Q) I see, you also write poetry.
A) Every Persian does.
Q) and the poems and paintings are related?
A) I was serious btw, if you insist many Iranians could bring you a "Deevan" of their poems. Yes, the paintings and poems are related. The painting "Hallaj" is the depiction of the poem; it's there after you go through all the paintings, you see a few poems in the end "in words" page.
A) and your photo is there as well, in the end.
Q) It is a self-portrait of a sort. I cannot paint faces well to be honest. I tried in college and decided I will never surpass the masters. There is no point to be second place in art.
Q) not second?
A) I mean art is about greatness. Even expressing something beyond the boundary of measurable universe, beyond where systematic knowledge can take you. It is the greatest expression of the human mind, of his imagination. The artist must strive to create something truly unique.
Q) what is art?
A) well I can tell you some of its properties. It is a sum of these properties. Art is a portal to another sphere of existence. The one that the mind is somehow aware of but cannot measure...
Q) How?
A) the brain turns to itself and through itself sees the fundamental properties of the universe that gave rise to it, to its essence.
Q) to God?
A) well with a little "g"; your god, my god but not God. no; That which is born of you vs what is born of your fear; the difference between love and commitment to it.
Q)so perhaps toward a purpose?
A) I don't think the universe has a purpose, a singular purpose. We are mortal after all and the universe is going through massive changes in all sort of directions, I doubt it has a master plan but many chaotic plans. Think about it: one purpose of life is to create, but the purpose of life is also to end. It does both. Then what is its purpose?
Q) It evolves?
A) yes it complexifies, But, Entropy always increases when that happens, always more than what is gained in complexity, is lost in disorder. No single aim emerges. Every begining has an ending, perhaps the universe itself ends. It is a thing of great beauty whatever it is. Does it matter if it ends or has a purpose? Do you not make love because it ends? If you don't like it, you can end it, anytime, without fear, you see, but you can choose, you should choose to try to go on so long as you think it serves your purpose. Not a universal purpose, for there is none. Your purpose; before it all ends. Then it ends in beauty. The end is also beautiful.
Q) I see a painting titled "our world ends"
A) That is really our world, our Solar System. I mean when our Sun dies. I hope by then we have discovered laws which allow us to move freely in the universe faster than speed of light and that we have gone all over the galaxies, even perhaps brought about a genesis. The poem "faith" is about that, about genesis. The force that spans all galaxies, the life force carried by city size machines that evolved from us. They are coming back to the source to remember where it all began. In the universe of light, alive and undying, without fear of universal forces that can wipe us out today. The great gensis.
Q) genesis?
A) yes, making everything aware. Going around and spreading self-replicating machines, organic and otherwise, transforming everything that can be transformed into life.
Q) you did not paint that?
A) I cannot paint god.
Q) then, what can you paint?
A) his colorful shadow.
Q) but the “universe sleeps” and "god dreams" the "dream which was the universe"?
A) yes it does, it looks like that way. At least the universe we see is accelerating its expansion, it will spread out into a vast non-interactive void of particles in the end. Of course I don't trust cosmologists entirely. They change their stories too often.
Q) not trust science?
A) no. no. I was joking. This is the best we can do for now. The universe might end in fire or in eternal winter. I don't know. But this is a possibility and somehow it appealed to me.
Q) I like the "tree of life" and "man at the center of world"
A) yes life grows and life dances.
Q) The black frame over the tree looks very dramatic.
A) yes, very good. The dead branches cover the living bark. Life is fragile. Death surrounds life. Of course, I don't want to describe the painting too much. You understand. It is what it is. You are free to see what you like to see. I saw many things myself when I made it; paintings took a life of their own.
Look at the painting "Lord Hallaj" and the poem "Hallaj". You can choose to see how any hero lives in that painting. It is about heroic life. There he stands between the candle and the stars, between night and day, between Moon and Sun. And he stands as tall as the sky, wounded and bleeding, he "stands the line that defines the day" he "heartens our fear", the Sun rising from his wounded knee. To be a man, to live a great life, you have to see yourself in that light. To live a life of virtue, you have to shed your fear. Fear is the path to all vice. Courage underlies all virtue. You can live a heroic life if you accept the consequences of the life you have chosen to live, we hope it leads to joy, to a life of bliss with family and friends and knowledge and wealth but if it leads to death, well, it does. Look at the life of Stauffenberg and see how to live a life of beauty and freedom. He and all those who live timeless fearless lives are lit candles that when connected by the curve of evolution point to our place amongst the stars; our destiny is in our final destiniation; our faith and fate are one.
Q) and how does art fit here?
A) Well art is a dream which is the creation. It is not by accident that artists don't "fit in". People know this by intuition. They know art is about freedom.
Q) who has influenced you?
A) Everyone
Q) Someone more?
A) Joseph Campbell has been the greatest influence in my thinking.
Q) he talks about heroic life often, the life of the hero.
A) yes and about myth which is often expressed by art in the broad sense of the word. I was repeating much of his thinking a minute ago. Look at the painting "ascent of man of man". Ask yourself if you are going there in your own life. It is here that you shoud aim for. But Campbell does not talk about power.
Q) There is something vast and lonely about your art.
A) man is alone in the vast expanse of existence. You have not met any visitors other than an occasional comet, have you? But of course we have friends; Aristotle said you cannot be happy without friends.
Q) The paintings are mostly 2-dimensional. Why is that?
A) Ah. excellent. You see, look up at the sky. Look at the mountains far away. Everything flattens. The eye recognizes dimension by putting together slightly different views of the same image. This fails far away. Perspective actually is a bad thing, if you want to convey something vast. It is counterintuitive but true. When you look out in every direction, fewer dimensions is what captures that. It is something every artist should be told. Somtimes you have to free your mind of the box which is the third dimension and then you see more.
Q) more art to come?
A) no. I am done for a while. I have said what I wanted to say. I am focusing on mathematics now. I come back when I have something more to say, maybe one day......
............
Q) thank you.
A) you are welcome.