Hamid Bahrami

To the citizens of the fantasy worlds

2024

My interest in painting cinema billboards dates back to distant years; back then, cinema was magic for a child like me. Those were the days when I painted the posters of my imaginary films filled with numerous events. Cartoon characters, controversial actors, heroes from comic books, dialogue balloons, and so on all rushed into my sketchbooks without hesitation, to the point that when our small town was bombarded at night and life fell into darkness, the only connection between my little sisters and me to the real world were those daydreams. Flipping through those sketchbooks and repeatedly revisiting the multi-layered stories I created with my sisters freed us from the sorrows of the world. From those days, I realized that creating an imaginative world where one could take refuge during hours of silence and anxiety is more essential than bread. I dedicate this collection, which celebrates the storytelling aspect of art in making life’s realities more bearable, to the first honorary citizens of my imaginary world, my twin sisters.