Nicky Nodjoumi (b. 1942, Kermanshah) left Iran shortly after the Islamic Revolution in 1979. His works typically employ a narrative approach to painting to shed light, in a theatrical and enigmatic way, on contemporary politics. Combining motifs from press cuttings with other incongruous elements, Nodjoumi creates compositions that typically feature male figures, dressed in a suit and tie, in dreamlike or nightmarish situations. The artist’s large-sized pen and ink drawings often function in the manner of a palimpsest in which various layers are superimposed. On the fringes of the main event, a series of figures derived from the ancient tradition of Persian miniatures, are visible whilst the drops of black ink, suggest an act of violence.