Current Exhibitions
Makan Negahban
Vitamin D
April 18 to May 16
Aabee Bleue Project is pleased to present Vitamin D, a solo exhibition of new works by Makan Negahban. The exhibition will open with a reception on April 18 from 4 to 7 pm.
Makan Negahban is a self-taught Iranian-American artist based in Los Angeles. Having worked for years as a musician before transitioning into painting, his practice brings together a wide range of techniques, compositions, and materials, reflecting an interest in the many visual languages available to a contemporary artist.
The paintings in Vitamin D focus on the human body in motion, including working, racing, riding, swimming, and floating. These are actions rooted in physical presence and experiences that cannot be replicated or replaced. The title points to a form of deficiency. Vitamin D is produced through exposure to sunlight, and its absence becomes a metaphor for what is increasingly missing in contemporary life. Activities that once formed the rhythm of everyday existence, such as being outdoors, moving, and engaging physically with others, now require conscious effort, almost as if they must be supplemented.
Many of the works are set against dark, nearly black backgrounds. Figures emerge from this darkness rather than being illuminated by light, creating a sense of tension and focus. A runner poised at the starting line, polo players caught mid-stride, and swimmers suspended in motion each capture a moment of embodied action. In some works, fragments of language appear, including words such as GLORY, PERFECTION, and SUCCESS, reflecting the systems of meaning and pressure that have accumulated around simple physical acts.
Negahban’s approach to painting mirrors his subject matter. Working quickly on unprimed, unstretched canvas, he treats painting as a form of performance, an immediate and physical act that preserves the energy of the moment. His compositions move fluidly between abstraction and representation, from raw gestural marks to more defined figures, allowing each work to function both as an expressive record and as a meditation on the fleeting nature of lived experience.
At its core, Vitamin D reflects on the value of physical engagement in an increasingly mediated world. The works consider what it means to be present in one’s body, to act in real space, and to remain connected to experiences that are immediate, tangible, and shared.
Aynaz Najafi
Unveiled
April 18 to May 16, 2026
Aabee Bleue Project is pleased to present Unveiled, an exhibition of new works by Aynaz Najafi. The exhibition opens on April 18 and will be on view through May 16.
Aynaz Najafi is an Iranian visual artist currently based in Rome. She holds a Master’s degree in the History of Ancient Iran, with a focus on the influence of Manichaean miniatures on Iranian Islamic art. She trained in Persian miniature painting under master Reza Mostajeran in Isfahan, developing a strong foundation in traditional techniques that continue to inform her work today. Since relocating to Italy in 2022, she has continued her studies at the Academy of Fine Arts of Brera in Milan and has exhibited internationally in Switzerland, Milan, and Rome.
Working within the visual language of Persian miniature, Najafi reinterprets its aesthetic and symbolic traditions to address contemporary realities. Her practice centers on the condition of women in Iran and the broader Middle East, examining how patriarchal structures, along with political and religious forces, shape women’s lives.
Rooted in her lived experience, the work draws from both personal memory and collective narratives. Her paintings reflect resilience, resistance, and acts of defiance, presenting the identity of Iranian women as complex and continually negotiated. While her earlier works carried implicit political and anti-religious undertones, her practice has become more direct and confrontational following her migration from Iran. Working in a context that allows greater freedom of expression, she has developed a more explicit visual language that positions her work as a form of resistance.
Najafi’s compositions bring together historical references and contemporary imagery, creating layered spaces where past and present intersect. Influences from Italian art history, particularly the work of Sandro Botticelli, appear in her attention to form and poetic structure. These elements are recontextualized within a contemporary framework, allowing traditional visual systems to engage with urgent political and social concerns.
Through Unveiled, Najafi offers an intimate yet fleeting perspective on what it means to exist as an Iranian woman today. The works invite viewers to reflect on identity, visibility, and the ongoing tension between tradition and transformation.