O Gallery in Tehran enjoys a well-earned reputation as an avant-garde and central forum for contemporary Iranian art. Under the direction of the passionate and art-minded gallerist Orkideh Daroodi, this institution has had a significant impact on the development and progress of the art scene in Iran and beyond. This summer, the O Gallery in Tehran presented the first survey exhibition of 40 years of work by Ali Nassir (born 1951 in Tehran, lives in Berlin). Ali Nassir: A Life in Context Ali Nassir, born in Tehran in 1951, is one of the defining figures of the Iranian art scene. Nassir's biography reflects the social and political upheavals that have shaped his life. Growing up in a city in upheaval, which was moving towards a revolution, he was drawn to Europe at the age of 23, where he eventually settled in Berlin. The contrasts between the vibrant, ever-changing Tehran of his youth and the isolated, geopolitical Berlin he later called home left their mark on Nassir's work. His paintings are expressions of movement, dynamism, and surprise, and their hidden layers conceal the experience of a fragile reality shaped by the rapid changes of time. Ali Nassir succeeds in impressively capturing these atmospheric contrasts in his paintings, taking the viewer on an introspective journey through the various stages of his life.   Orkideh Daroodi: The Curator of Ascension Orkideh Daroodi, born in 1982, is the founder and gallerist of O Gallery in Tehran. She graduated from UC Davis in California in 2004 with a degree in English Literature before returning to the Iranian art scene to realize her vision of an influential contemporary art gallery. Indeed, with O Gallery, Daroodi has created a platform that provides space for emerging and established Iranian artists alike to flourish, whether they live in Iran proper or in the diaspora. Since its founding ten years ago, O Gallery has undergone an impressive development under Daroodi's direction. A converted three-story building from the 1960s houses the gallery and serves as a versatile exhibition space. The gallery's portfolio now includes thirty artists, from emerging talents to established greats. The O Gallery's commitment to promoting young artists is remarkable, with around 50 of them having had their first solo exhibitions here. Some of them have since celebrated great success in the art world. In addition, the gallery has actively collaborated with major museums to support the careers of its artists. For example, the British Museum acquired works by Shideh Tami, while Zahra Imani was exhibited at the Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane. O Gallery is also active internationally and strives to include Iranian artists living abroad in its program. In 2020, for example, the gallery organized a solo exhibition by Abdolreza Aminlari in collaboration with Situations Gallery in New York. Through her work, Daroodi is instrumental in bringing the diverse and dynamic world of Iranian art to a wider international audience. More at ogallery.net