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Social sculpcher or Community-Based Art : From Ruin to Cultural Beacon
In addition to being an environmental artist, Ahmad Nadalian is also active in the field of social sculptur and community-based art. Since 2009, he has transformed many abandoned buildings into museums, galleries, tourist accommodations, ritual centers, and cultural centers. He created conditions for women, children in local communities, as well as artists, tourists, and environmental activists to participate in his art works. The result of these activities is the development of sustainable tourism, empowerment and high self-confidence of women, creative growth of children, and ultimately creating a balance to preserve culture, indigenous traditions, and changes that seem necessary in our time. Art plays a constructive role in Nadealian’s work path – abandoned environments gain new life and color without government assistance and are transformed into cultural centers.
Paradise Residential Art Centre / The Museum and Gallery of Ahmad Nadalian in Hormuz island
In March 2009, Ahmad Nadalian purchased an abandoned, dilapidated structure in an old neighborhood of Hormuz Island for under US$2,000. Initially overrun and even used as a hangout by drug users, the building had only a single palm tree alive when he acquired it.
This early incarnation served as an artist residency and educational space. Local and international artists were invited to live, collaborate, and create—transforming the ruin into a hub for environmental and social art.
By 2012, the building was formally converted into the Dr. Nadalian Museum. The entrance was redesigned, inspired by local architectural traditions, and the building began serving simultaneously as a gallery for Nadalian’s work and local artistic contributions
What It Offers Today
The museum displays environmental artworks such as installations, video art, paintings, interactive sand print installations, dolls, and more. There are many objects that introduce local culture and handicrafts. It offers creative inspiration through natural history: featuring large marine bones (including whale remains) collected from the island’s shores by Nadealian. Besides these, collaborative artworks by Nadealian and local women can be found in the museum gallery. They are created from recycled unused fabric.
Inside, visitors encounter powerful installations like Nadalian’s conceptual art and his painting. Nadalian has collected old women’s trousers from the coast and exhibited them in the museum. The bottom half is adorned with elaborate needlework and detailed patterns. The colorful collection is now on display in my museum. He has the best collection in Iran.
The Museum also hosts free art education programs—particularly for children—and offers workshops in ecological art, culture, and English. Many local women were taught by Nadalian to translate their cultural heritage into visual and practical art forms, helping sustain their livelihoods.
Along the museum route, there was a ruined residential land. Visitors would always ask why the municipality didn’t clean it up.
An abandoned land around Dr. Nadealian’s museum in 2014.
Transforming an abandoned land around Dr. Nadealian’s museum into an educational environment in 2014.In 2014, with the help of artists, girls who were museum guides, and children, the abandoned environment around the museum was transformed into a children’s educational center.
نادعلیان شلوار قدیمی زنان را از ساحل جمع‌آوری کرده و در موزه به نمایش گذاشته است. قسمت پایین شلورهای کهنه که دارای نقوش گلابتون هستند را جمع آوری کرده است این مجموعهٔ رنگارنگ بهترین مجموعه از این نوع در ایران هستند.
تیاب بندر، وضعیت فعلی محلی که لباس ها و شلوارهای گلابتون دوزی شده کهنه در داخل آب دریا رها می شد. بر اساس خاطراتی که دارم جمع آوری پارچه های کهنه از این محل، نمایش آنها در موزه و انتشار تصاویر آنها در محیط مجازی نتیجه اش این بود که به این ساحل بیشتر توجه شود و پاکسازی شود.
It has become a celebrated cultural landmark, featured in international travel guides, and attracts a wide array of visitors—from tourists and artists to environmentalists, families, and groups from around the world.
Why This Matters
Community-Driven Renewal: Nadalian’s work is a potent example of how art can regenerate communities—not just through aesthetic transformation, but by building social bonds and economic opportunity.
Art That Speaks to Place: The museum doesn’t just house art; it is deeply embedded in Hormuz Island’s ecology, culture, and life. It invites visitors to reflect on the value of place, history, and environmental stewardship.
Evolving Functions: From abandoned ruin → to artist residency → to gallery → to museum and educational center—the site’s evolution mirrors Nadalian’s vision for art as a living, dynamic force.
Empowerment Through Art: By teaching local women to create art using natural and recycled materials, Nadalian bridged cultural heritage with modern environmental awareness—raising awareness and supporting local livelihoods.
The role of Ahmad Nadalian for devlopment o dco tourism in Hormuz and empowerin women.
From the early years of living on Hormuz Island and later in the villages of Qeshm Island, Nadealian helped many women transform their homes into environments where they could provide services to tourists for eating local food and accommodation. On Hormuz Island, these patterns gradually spread throughout the island and became widespread.
One of the rooms in Hassan’s mother’s house, which is located at the house entrance, was initially used as a goat shelter, and the other room was filled with items that were considered garbage.
During the 36th Environmental Art Festival, which was held in a decentralized manner on Hormuz Island, in addition to the festival itself, many activities were carried out in interaction with the locals. A number of artists resided in Hassan’s mother’s house, and a series of installations were created in the house and the surrounding neighborhood.”
Note: The year 1388 in the Persian solar calendar corresponds to 2009 in the Gregorian calendar, which I’ve used in the translation for international readers.
Bringing Kaniz’s House to Life Through the Strange Story of Her Life
Before meeting Nadealian, Kaniz used to boil live shells in hot water and make necklaces. Nadealian helped her transform her house into a restaurant. Many tourists would visit her house with their families. Alongside providing services to tourists, Ahmad Nadealian taught painting to “Kaniz.” Kaniz’s life has been one of suffering and hardship. Kaniz’s mother was married at the age of seven and gave birth 25 times. Of her children, only five survived to adulthood – four daughters and one son. Kaniz was also first married at the age of seven. The life story of Kaniz and her mother demonstrates the many hardships that local women on Hormuz Island have experienced. Kaniz says: “All my daughters have my same fate.” Nadealian helped Kaniz paint the pain and sorrow of her life first on paper and then on the walls of her house.
Kaniz says: “If I paint my sorrows on the walls with the colored earth of Hormuz Island’s mountains, I fear that the mountains will run out and the walls will be insufficient.” This poignant quote demonstrates Ahmad Nadealian’s collaboration with this local woman, which is one of the prominent examples of Nadealian’s community-oriented and cultural work that has helped local women express their experiences and emotions through art.
Drawing on the walls of Mohsen’s house on Hormuz Island
Mohsen suffered from drug addiction. For many yeard Ahmad Nadalian helped Mohsen to draw social subject, like outsider artists. In 2015, after covering the cost of whitewashing the walls of Mohsen’s house, Nadalian helped Mohsen to draw the history, Culture ritual of Hormuz Island on the walls of his house. In adition Nadalian asked Mohsen’ to draw his life story on the walls. Mohsen writh on the wall “I wish I had met Dr. Nadalian fifty years ago.” The income from Mohsen’s designs was given to her family and children.
Ahmad Nadalian’s Social-Art Project in Salakh, located on the southern coast of Qeshm Island,
In 2015 Ahmad Nadalian initiated a social art project designed to empower local women—a continuation of his community-focused work elsewhere .
Work at Zinat House and Garden
In the early stage the local girls and women were coached to reuse old fabrics, transforming them into unique artworks by placing them behind glass. This process elevated the cultural and economic value of otherwise discarded materiald.
The Idea of Ritual Garden
When Nadalian saw the Zinat’s garden, he was fascinated by a tree. But the garden looked more like a garbage dump. Zinat told me at the time that when she was talking to her sister, she had planned to release chickens and roosters here. But I had other images in my mind. My idea was to invite artists and have them help transform the garden environment into a place for ecotourism and ritual ceremonies. Before the festival, we cleaned the garden area for the artists to work. We achieved our goal with the participation and help of artists.
Artistic and Economic Goals
The approach was twofold:
Cultural revival: Holding indigenous ritual ceremonies
Economic upliftment by providing women with newfound skills and potentially marketable art pieces. The unique visual effect—thin, colorful fabrics becoming translucent behind glass—gave the works both beauty and meaning.
The “Art Garden Hom stay and Paradise Art Gallery” in Salakh
After seeing the abandoned part of the Gourani house which was full of garbage and debris, I decided that with the help of the daughters of that house and with a minimal budget, we would revitalize the house and in addition to workshops, the Pardis Art Center gallery would be active there and we would establish a residential center for artists. Workshops were held there and international programs were organized.
Beyond the workshops, a gallery space emerged as an artistic hub. Referred to by visitors as the Paradise Art Gallery, it’s housed in a traditional village home and features:
Permanent and temporary exhibitions, including Nadalian’s environmental artworks (sand prints, stone carvings) and local creations like fabric-under-glass pieces and ceramics.
Showings from both local artisans and international artists who participated in events like the Global Nomadic Art Project (GNAP) in Salakh
TripAdvisor visitors describe it as a “surprising place” where you can wander through small rooms brimming with nature-inspired art alongside local crafts—a fusion of contemporary and regional visual culture.
Global Nomadic Art Project (GNAP) – Salakh
Salakh also became a venue for international artistic dialogue through GNAP:
The 4th edition of the Global Nomadic Art Project launched there in December 2016, attracting artists from Iran, Germany, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Slovakia, South Korea, and others.
Nadalian served as the Secretary for the 2017 installment, which again commenced in Salakh and concluded at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art
GNAP focuses on nature art and ephemeral installations, using environmental materials and settings to create site-specific, temporary artworks that emphasize ecological sensitivity.
Ahmad Nadalian indeed carried out a similar art-community initiative in Barkeh-Khalaf village on Qeshm Island. Here’s what his work there involved:
Transformation of a Neglected Underpass into a Gallery in Barkeh-Khalaf
In February 2018, Nadalian completed the renovation of a derelict underpass in Barkeh-Khalaf. The space was transformed into the “Pardis Art Gallery” — a local art hub revitalized through collaborative, community-driven efforts.
The renovation work was carried out by local girls and women of the village, with Nadalian himself actively participating in the preparations.
Empowering Local Women Through Art
The gallery served as a platform where women from the village sold their crafts. Nadalian painted faces on canvases, while local women collaboratively designed and coloured traditional patterns—such as those used in “Golabtoon” embroidery and henna motifs.
They also produced small paintig on wood transformed into magnets, featuring recurring flower patterns, reflecting local aesthetic preferences.
During its active years, tourists were brought to visit this gallery, turning the space into a vibrant point of cultural interaction
Why This Project Matters
Art and Revival: Nadalian once again turned a neglected space into a cultural platform, reaffirming art’s power in community renewal.
Inclusive Collaboration: Women of Barkeh-Khalaf took responsibility for both the restoration and artistic output—Nadalian facilitated and supported, without overshadowing.
Local Craft Meets Contemporary Expression: By merging traditional motifs (like golabtoon and henna designs) with small scale painting, the project highlighted how cultural heritage can be reimagined and preserved.
Cultural Tourism: The gallery attracted visitors, offering insight into local traditions and designs—and fostering economic opportunities for villagers.
Ahmad Nadalian’s work in Hormuz Island has been deeply tied to eco-tourism and empowering women.
The Laft Project: House as Art
Ahmad Nadalian’s house in Laft on Qeshm Island—a creative renovation that echoes his transformative work on Hormuz Island.
Location & Acquisition
Located along the main alley in Laft’s historic quarter, Nadalian’s house was purchased on Persian Gulf Day in 2016 (10 Ordibehesht 1395). At that time, the house was filled with old belongings and hadn’t been cleared out yet.
Renovation only began around 2019, after land rights were clarified. It was a community effort—many friends and Nadalian’s wife helped with construction, plumbing, electrical work, and more
Initial Phase: Gallery & Dialogue
Right from the first year, one of the western-side rooms was converted into a gallery—a space for local female artists from Qeshm villages to display and sell their creations. Visitors were invited to appreciate art rooted in local visual languages
The Conceptual Wall
One of the most striking features is the “conceptual wall”. From the street, through a small illuminated window or seven apertures, passersby can see, hear, touch, and even smell fragments of art inside—abstract forms meant to evoke imagery and invite introspection. One aperture allows tactile interaction, another conveys fragrance-based concepts.
This approach responds to local religious sensitivities—figurative depictions are restricted, so Nadalian instead created an abstract, symbolic “language” legible to the community without conflicting with norms
Architectural & Cultural Sensitivity
The home preserves local architectural features—such as traditional wind-towers characteristic of Laft. Nadalian describes how even a glimpse through the apertures lets one “see Laft from the perspective of a painter,” integrating the community’s surroundings into the art itself
Why It’s Significant
Art as Integration: The project blurs lines between art, architecture, and community—inviting public participation through sensory perception.
Cultural Respect: By using abstraction, Nadalian honors local beliefs while still conveying environmental and social narratives.
Community Empowerment: Like his work on Hormuz Island, this project provided a platform for local womend to showcase their creations.
Transformative Vision: Turning a neglected historical house into an artistic and cultural asset underscores Nadalian’s belief in revitalizing the overlooked.
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