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Ahmad Nadalian is internationally known recognized for his work as an environmental artist, has also become a leading figure in social sculpture and community-based art in Iran. His creative journey spans the island of Hormuz, the villages of Qeshm, and the regions inhabited by the nomadic Sangseri people. In each of these settings, he has employed art as a catalyst for transformation, addressing environmental degradation, cultural neglect, and social marginalization. A cornerstone of Nadalian’s practice is collaboration with marginalized groups, especially women, youth, and individuals facing social and economic challenges.
Nadalan’s Vision: The Power of Art in Society
Nadalian’s philosophy reflects his belief in art as a transformative social force.
“Artists have the power to redefine and symbolize pristine natural landscapes, breathe new life into abandoned environments, and create spaces where both artists and ordinary people can collaborate creatively. Through this process, societies evolve, superstition fades, and women and marginalized communities gain empowerment.”
Why Nadalian Chose Social Art
During his early years as an environmental artist, Nadalian came to a sobering realization: communities struggling with poverty rarely prioritize environmental preservation.
On Hormuz Island:
– The island’s iconic, colorful soils were being exploited and sold illegally.
– Many residents relied on smuggling to survive, while only a few practiced traditional fishing.
– The natural beauty of the island was largely ignored and undervalued.
Nadalian recognized that environmental preservation could only succeed if local communities directly benefited from protecting their natural resources. Through art, he reframed the environment as a source of cultural pride and economic opportunity, not merely a commodity to be exploited.
By turning ordinary landscapes into living works of art, he attracted international tourism, which, in turn, motivated local residents to safeguard these spaces. Art became the bridge between nature and sustainable economic growth.
Tangible Outcomes of Nadalian’s Work
The far-reaching impact of Nadalian’s artistic interventions can be seen in multiple areas:
- Redefining Hormuz’s natural identity, symbolizing it as the celebrated ‘Rainbow Island
- Transforming abandoned structures into vibrant cultural and eco-tourism centers
- Fostering creative participation among artists, locals, and tourists alike
- Establishing the foundations of sustainable tourism rooted in culture and ecology
- Empowering marginalized individuals, including those who addicted to drug
- Providing women with education and economic opportunities through art and tourism
- Raising women’s self-confidence and supporting their leadership in public spaces
- Reviving endangered cultural practices, such as traditional Sangseri dances
- Expanding opportunities for children through libraries and creative education
- Turning waste into art, giving discarded materials new life and meaning
Hormuz Island: From Neglect to International Recognition
Since 2006, Nadalian has used Hormuz’s colorful soils as a central theme in public art workshops, environmental art festivals, and media campaigns that reached audiences far beyond Iran.
Through these initiatives, landscapes once dismissed as ordinary have become internationally celebrated destinations, drawing thousands of visitors each year.
Reimagining Landscapes and Cultural Identity
On Hormuz Island, Nadalian’s work began with a bold idea: to transform the island’s uniquely colorful soils into a medium for environmental art. By organizing workshops and public festivals, he invited both local and national artists to collaborate, fostering a spirit of collective creativity. Through the active participation of the local community, these events became platforms for dialogue, cultural exchange, and economic development.
At the very first festival in 2006, Nadalian used red soil, locally known as ‘Gelak,’ to paint directly on participants’ hands and faces, forging a deep symbolic connection between people and place. This same red soil is a key ingredient in Souraq, a traditional local dish made with natural soil, sardine fish, and bitter orange, typically eaten with bread. Centuries of tradition affirm its safety, underscoring the intimate bond between the island’s inhabitants and their environment.
Harnessing the power of digital storytelling and social media, Nadalian brought global attention to the island’s extraordinary landscapes. What were once anonymous stretches of earth became internationally recognized symbols of beauty and cultural pride, earning Hormuz the nickname ‘Rainbow Island.’
Transforming abandoned structures into vibrant cultural and eco-tourism centers
Beyond environmental art, Nadalian turned to urban and architectural renewal, revitalizing abandoned and neglected spaces. These structures were repurposed into cultural centers, art studios, and eco-tourism hubs—creating sustainable opportunities for education, creativity, and local enterprise.
Bringing Abandoned Environments to Life as Social Sculpture or Cumunity Art
Fostering creative participation among artists, locals, and tourists alike
Providing women with education and economic opportunities through art and tourism
Nadalian taught painting and design to women and girls on Hormuz Island and in Qeshm villages, enabling them to express their creativity while gaining practical skills.
Activist & Protest Art by Ahmad Nadalian
Raising women’s self-confidence and supporting their leadership in public spaces
Most notably, Nadalian’s initiatives created pathways for women to step into public roles of leadership and management. On an island where women’s voices were historically suppressed, he provided the tools and platforms for them to claim visibility and agency.
What remained as a legacy of teaching painting with colorful soil to island women was that island women became accustomed to presence in public environments, their self-confidence increased, and they became professional sellers.
Raising women’s self-confidence and supporting their leadership in public spaces
In the early years when tourism gradually took shape, women’s first job in public environment was selling paintings.
Empowering marginalized individuals, including those who addicted to drug
Nadalian encouraged self-expression through art. Their raw, instinctive drawings were later painted onto canvases, turning deeply personal expressions into works of cultural significance.
Kaniz is one of Nadalian’s pupils on Hormuz Island. She is a local woman, previously earned a living by boiling live shells to create necklaces. With Nadalian’s guidance, she transformed her home into a restaurant, welcoming families and tourists.
Beyond economic support, Nadalian taught Kaniz to paint her personal story, allowing her to express her struggles and memories through art.
Kaniz’s background is marked by hardship:
– Her mother was married at age seven and gave birth 25 times, but only five children survived—four daughters and one son.
– Kaniz herself was also married at age seven, repeating the cycle of hardship.
Kaniz once said:
“If I paint my sorrows on the walls with the colored earth of Hormuz Island’s mountains, I fear the mountains will run out and the walls will be insufficient.”
This powerful statement reflects Nadalian’s community-based approach, enabling local women to turn personal pain into collective expression and cultural preservation.
مراحل انجام کار نقاشی دیواری در خانه کنیز
Nadalian encouraged people addicted to drugs to also draw the social and cultural subject. He helped change and the social improvement finally led them to paint their drawings. One of his goals is to heighten our awareness of our human conditions and surrounds. As a result of the awareness gained by addressing social and cultural subjects in art, people began to take steps to improve their physical and mental health and treatment. On the other hand, the art of drawing as a true medium can be a mirror to society and to each individual.
He was faced with this challenge and realized that expression of social reality can be a painful process.
Mohsen, a local resident struggling with drug addiction, found healing and purpose through Nadalian’s mentorship.
– Nadalian encouraged Mohsen to draw themes of social life and history, similar to the raw creativity of outsider artists.
– In 2015, Nadalian funded the restoration of Mohsen’s house, including whitewashing its walls to serve as a canvas.
– Mohsen painted scenes of Hormuz’s cultural rituals, personal memories, and life experiences directly on the walls.
Mohsen wrote a moving statement:
“I wish I had met Dr. Nadalian fifty years ago.”
The income from Mohsen’s artwork went directly to support his family and children, showing how art can become a source of dignity and financial stability.
Revealing Hidden Abilities: Nadalian’s collaborative painting with people on the margins
Revealing Hidden Abilities: Nadalian’s collaborative painting with people on the margins
Reviving endangered cultural practices, such as traditional Sangseri dances
In his work with the Sangseri nomadic communities, Nadalian sought to protect and revive endangered cultural practices.
One of his most significant contributions was documenting and promoting traditional Sangseri dances, especially those performed by women and girls. Through extensive research and community engagement, Nadalian created safe spaces for these dances to be performed publicly for the first time.
This breakthrough was revolutionary: without his support, these women would never have been allowed to dance openly. Today, they perform regularly at festivals and cultural gatherings, actively preserving their heritage while inspiring younger generations.
Scholars and art historians have identified these initiatives within the frameworks of Social Art, Community-Based Art, and Social Sculpture, acknowledging their profound social and cultural impact.
Expanding opportunities for children through libraries and creative education
Turning waste into art, giving discarded materials new life and meaning
During the early years of my life on Hormoz Island, I found people burned old clothes or dumped them into the sea. I collect the discarded traditional trousers of the local women. The bottom half is adorned with elaborate needlework and detailed patterns. The colorful collection is now on display in my museum. I suggest to the local women that they recycle the other half to make patchwork from, and I will often now use them as a canvas for my own paintings.
The fabrics used for women’s clothes in South Iran art are colorful and thin. After being put behind glass they become transparent. For this project, Nadalian used the island’s fabric waste and intended to make the materials appear to have a cultural and economic value.
In many villages of Qeshm Island, the indigenous people avoid depicting living figure due to some religious beliefs. That is why we can’t find indigenous figurative painters. The young girls and women of the island are great at painting the decorative patterns. Nadalian painted of faces himself and they painted the background. The patterns painted by women show their hope and vivacity. Even though they never use painting as a medium to show their pain and wounds, Nadalian would like to take part and illustrate their sufferings in painting of the decorative pattern. In the process of art making, he like to shorten the distance between pain and the pattern, and the private and the public. I maneuver in the space in between.
In addition to the influence of detailed patterned needlework, Nadalian personally inspired by native culture and folklore in making some art works. Some of his paintings depict the local legend of Bibi Sourat, a girl who painted her beloved. She is often
displayed in the mirrors in the foreground of her paintings. This story is rooted in reality and has become legend. The older
people have learned from this girl. ،The older people still tell this legend
Recognition and Academic Perspectives
Nadalian’s work first gained international academic recognition in 2013, when he presented his projects at a conference on art in natural environments.
– Adam Clive, a British researcher in attendance, identified Nadalian’s practice as fitting within the theory of Social Sculpture, a concept pioneered by Joseph Beuys. Clive later wrote the preface to a book documenting Nadalian’s environmental and social art.
– At the time, Nadalian had been following his vision instinctively, without categorizing it in academic terms.
– Later, Sarah Maleki, one of Nadalian’s students, conducted a doctoral study comparing his work to Beuys’ ideas, deepening the theoretical understanding of his contributions.
However, interpretations differ:
– Shelly, a former student of Joseph Beuys, argued that Nadalian’s work, based on the limited examples she reviewed, falls more accurately under Community Art.
– Other scholars and artists, after reviewing a broader range of projects, have affirmed its alignment with the principles of Social Sculpture.
Conclusion: A Living Legacy of Social Art
Ahmad Nadalian’s work demonstrates the profound potential of art to reshape societies. Through his projects, neglected landscapes have been reimagined as cultural treasures, and marginalized communities have been empowered to reclaim their narratives.
Whether described as Social Sculpture, Community Art, or Social Practice, Nadalian’s legacy stands as a model of how creativity, collaboration, and environmental stewardship can converge to build a sustainable and inclusive future.
His vision continues to inspire artists, scholars, and activists worldwide, proving that art is not merely a reflection of society but a tool to transform it.
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