Parham Ghalamdar: Futurist Welder, 2021 (limited edition t-shirt)

The inspiration for this t-shirt design comes from the British working-class painter, Clifford Hooper Rowe and his modernist paintings from the 1930’s. These paintings narrated and celebrated British industry and the contribution of the working class to society, especially in Manchester. A major collection of his works are held at the People’s History Museum in Manchester. Parham’s design mixes elements of Rowe’s work with his own unique aesthetic which includes references to Graffiti, surrealism and cartoons.

By mixing realist and cartoon aesthetics in his paintings Ghalamdar resists simple interpretations of his work. This absurdist strategy recurs throughout Ghalamdar’s work, which includes handmade books, graffiti and animation. This way of working stands as a counterpoint to the oppressive weight of dogmatic ideology that Ghalamdar experienced in his homeland. Born in Tehran, Iran in 1994, Ghalamdar was a key member of ELF Crew, the first graffiti collective in Iran. ELF became known for their transgressive and coded resistance to the regime and their liberal progressive subculture. After being arrested multiple times for graffiti and being forcefully interrogated by the authorities Ghalamdar fearing for his life (his sexuality, if exposed, would be punishable by death) eventually managed to escape Iran, travelling through Asia before being granted asylum in the UK.

In 2019 he completed his BA in Fine Art, Painting at Manchester School of Art and in 2021 his MA in Fine Art, Painting at Manchester School of Art. Castlefield Gallery selected Ghalamdar to be part of the 2019/20 Manchester School of Art Graduate Mentees cohort and has continued to support and work with him since including; showcasing his work at The Manchester Contemporary 2019; in a partnership with the University of Salford Art Collection and Castlefield Gallery commissioned a new digital animation Birds or Borders (2020) that was selected for the online Peer to Peer: UK/HK exhibition programme; and as part of the Obstructions exhibition at Castlefield Gallery.