Tree of Life Artwork

I am Jelbert Karami. I was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1985. My love and passion for painting started at the age of 14 after seeing the beautiful paintings by one of the greatest Iranian poets and painters, Sohrab Sphere, at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. I started learning painting, drawing and art history with masters in Tehran, mounting my first solo exhibition there in 2005. At the age of twenty, I committed my life to art, starting to paint professionally, holding workshops in private clubs in the city. The challenges of being an artist in Iran include extreme censorship of subject matter, and while an artist can become well known, there are always eyes on him or her. I had several solo and group exhibitions in Iran, and I was active. However, I left my homeland for Vienna in 2015, stayed a few months, and came to the United States in 2016. I had also held several exhibitions in the United States, and I paint every day. Although there are many problems and difficulties in immigration, I have always tried to be active. Today, different issues have occupied my mind. It is no longer just the presence of human beings in my work, but I am working on various topics as well. The Tree of Life collection is one of the most fascinating collections in my opinion. The fragmented trees, lonely and crumbling, seem to refer to the same human beings of my past, and this is completely unintended. The same thing is repeated in the collection of water bottles or in the works of collages. For me, some collections include four or five works; and some of my collections may even reach a hundred works; and that varies greatly. My artworks reflect both my spirituality and my love for the nation, as well as my interest in Middle Eastern culture and human-rights issues. Witnessing my history disappear is devastating, but I believe that humanity can ultimately become a true community by reaching past darkness for light, and "for me, that light came through art.