10 Questions with Tiba Mohsen Tighbakhsh

Tiba Mohsen Tighbakhsh grew up in a middle-class Iranian family. His father worked as a clerk and devoted his free time to his family and his passion for art. Tiba was fascinated by his father's painting from an early age and tried to imitate him with his little fingers. Tiba discovered the fun of handling the brush and gliding on the "magic" canvas and came to the brush at the age of 6.
But he also liked the theater very much. He used to write his own screenplay for the school theater, with which he won a state and national best prize in the school theater competition.

Until 1993, Tiba earned his living restoring carpets and paintings. However, he still spent his free time practicing ideas, painting pictures, and dreaming of new ideas. One of his dreams since childhood was to master the art of skin painting (tattooing).
Tiba decided to devote his life to art and left Iran in 1993. He wanted to explore the world, grow and develop. In his homeland, the opportunities for intellectual and artistic activity were very limited.
Skin painting, which he dealt with when he was young, is now to round off his specialist knowledge as the next learning phase.

Tiba starts tattooing on animal skin. He mastered this so well that he opened his first tattoo studio in Berlin in 2006 and was able to establish himself in the scene after a short time. To this day, his tattoo studio in Berlin Charlottenburg is one of the best places for numerous celebrities and tattoo friends. "Tiba is a creative and impulsive artist with heart and humility". He effortlessly switches from the abstract to the figurative and shows figures and situations from everyday life and pop culture.

Over the years, he has continued to refine his ideas and styles.
His work has been exhibited in several German and international galleries.

tibart.de | @tibart.berlin

ARTIST STATEMENT

In recent years Tiba has been working on a new idea. First, he worked hard on a rare world concept that he created himself—a combination of drawing, painting, and tattooing, all on rare and handwoven kilims.

He uses his many years of experience in the world of kilim rugs and connects worlds together. You can follow the development from frame to frame. After a period of self-discovery, Tiba finally finds his unmistakable style.

In his most recent works, Tiba combines spirals with lines. He developed a completely new art technique. "The Spiralist" was born.

And he still wants to keep going and doesn't stop perfecting his technique. He constantly looks for new ideas and tries to transport feelings through art.

For Tiba, painting is a way to find himself again. He sees a form of spirituality in it, like an invitation to see the world from another dimension and not to be guided by a "normal" way of thinking. In this way, he approaches the themes that move him, such as Orient and Occident, nature and war, but also the relationship to the media and people and different cultures and their stories.

INTERVIEW

Can you tell us a bit more about your background? How did you come to experiment with images?

The first memories from my childhood are connected with creative activities, especially painting and building have always been among my interests. Until I was thirteen, I felt like I was growing up like Jack and the Beanstalk, but then the so-called revolution happened, and my life and the lives of many thousands were suddenly taken to a dramatic and dangerous challenge. During the Gulf War that broke out and my time at the front, I suffered from mental depression, so I saw no prospects for the future. I had entirely forgotten my artistic side in this difficult life situation, yet I tried to stay creative. The freedom deficit made me leave my homeland 25 years ago. My new life in Europe was complicated at first. It wasn't easy getting back on my feet and revising my past. And art called me back when calmness returned to my life, making me feel free and happy again. I was allowed to unfold again and enrich my surroundings with art.

What is your personal goal as an artist?

Simple improvement.
An old sage says there is always something to improve. I improve myself as a human being, I improve my work as an artist, and as a human rights activist, I try to improve my society where I can. And as far as my art is concerned, I try to remind people in my works how cruel the world is and, at the same time, how beautiful life can be.

What do you hope the public will take away from your work?

I value aesthetics and beauty a lot, but conveying the artwork's meaning, story, and the message is just as important to me. Therefore, I am sure that the viewers of my artworks can take away a lot if they take the time to decode the language of my works.

How much of your personal life and experiences are reflected in your work?

I can't imagine anything else because my work is about my interests and experiences. I share the story of different cultures that I have experienced or learned about myself. Each of my works reflects a part of me, and I feel connected to some works as if I left a part of my spirit there.

Is there a particular event that influences your approach to art and your production?

I believe that life is a learning process, and every new thing learned can influence the way of working. But wars and the current climate problems sometimes throw me off balance, because I hate wars too. I always try to stay optimistic and in the same friendly style. There are moments when the wars unfold and become crueler and crueler than before, then my head works differently, and my works take a corresponding influence so that they derail from my own style and step out of line.

You work with different media, such as painting, carpets and tattoos. What is the biggest challenge for you when creating art?

In general, working with biological materials as art media is a major challenge. I work on living human skin as a tattoo artist, which is a very big responsibility. It takes a lot of knowledge and experience because each part of the body has a specific skin type and its own characteristics, which must be treated differently accordingly. The same is, working with old carpets and kilims is just as complicated. Depending on where the pieces come from and what they are made of, from different types of animal wool to different vegetarian fibers, they all need to be treated and prepared for painting differently.

What would you like to experiment with in the future?

I'm constantly experimenting with new things and, of course, in the field of digital art. I work with 3D programs like Blender and learn 2D and 3D animations. Let's see where it takes me. I'm also trying to deepen my knowledge on the subject of NFT and to stay up to date with Metaverse as much as I can.

Do you find that the switch to digital exhibitions and art fairs has helped you to promote your work?

The new opportunities offered by the Internet are very useful. Publishing something online is one thing, but choosing platforms and reaching the right audience is another. There are new ideas and platforms every day, and lots of offers for collectors and artists. You just have to be careful not to get lost in this disorderly jungle. But the forums and the communities are very helpful, you can also travel the world virtually and get inspiration, and that's what I think is great.

In the last two years we have seen many changes, both in the art world and in our lives in general. What are you missing from your pre-Covid life in terms of career and art?

If I look objectively, I don't miss anything. I adapt myself to every situation, and I haven't had the disease so far. Only at the beginning did I have to close my tattoo studio for months. I was at home all the time trying to do something creative. But the concern that so many people were dying every day kept me from pursuing my personal interests. But I am all the happier now that relatively fewer people are dying than I feared, and we can at least work with reservations and meet other people.

What are you currently working on and what are your plans for the future?

I am currently working on a new series of works of art in pop art style, and legendary personalities are interpreted in a completely new composition. I plan several exhibitions in 2022-2023 and try to exhibit my works in the Middle East as well, such as in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

Is there anything exciting you can tell us about?

What excites me is a secret of mine, but I'll tell you if you ask. I'm also writing a screenplay for a short film. I dream of taking part in an international competition like the Berlinale with a film one day.

Finally, say something you would like the world to know about you?

Art is an instinct born with me that gives me rest and heals my scars. For me, it is a language that you don't necessarily have to learn to understand, but that is so universal and understandable and at the same time ambiguous and impressive. Art is my only possession, and for everything else material, I have no feelings of ownership, because everything I use is lent to me by nature, and great people from planet earth create the beautiful life I lead. And for that, I am grateful