Hossein and Angela Valamanesh are artists. Hossein Valamanesh grew up in Teheran, where he graduated from the School of Fine Art Painting in 1970. Three years later he emigrated to Australia. Since graduating from further studies at South Australian School of Art he has exhibited frequently in Australia and internationally and has received numerous awards and fellowships. Angela Valamanesh graduated in ceramics from the South Australian School of Art in 1977 and became a tenant potter at Adelaide's Jam Factory. Following a number of solo exhibitions in Australia and overseas, in 1996 she gained a scholarship to work at the Glasgow School of Art. Over the past decade the Valamaneshes have collaborated on a number of public art projects including An Gorta Mor, the Great Irish Famine Memorial at the Hyde Park Barracks (1999).
While Hossein and Angela Valamanesh were travelling recently through the remote mountains of Iran, they came across a group of refugees from Iraq and Afghanistan whose chief livelihood lay in making pinhole camera portraits. The couple sat for one; the resultant reverse image was digitally manipulated on their return to Australia.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2004
© Hossein Valamanesh and Angela Valamanesh
On one level The Companion talks about the most famous and frontline Australians, but on another it tells us about ourselves: who we read, who we watch, who we listen to, who we cheer for, who we aspire to be, and who we'll never forget. The Companion is available to buy online and in the Portrait Gallery Store.
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