Iranian Mask Artist, Ali Khatibzadeh

Ali asghar Khatibzadeh was born in Damghan, Iran in 1965. He graduated from Niavaran Cultural Institute in 1992 and is a playwright and writer of short stories. He is also a member of the Street Plays Society at Tehran Theater Center and is a designer of masks and puppets.

Says Ali, "Some years ago, as a new sparkle passed through my mind, I felt an innovation inside myself. From that time, any play I read I visualized the characters in my mind and try to make them realized with the newspaper paste (Papier Mache) in an exaggerating way. The masks I make, are formed by the use of my own imagination and creation. Some of them are based on some well-known characters existing in works of the world plays. For instance among the masks I've made, you encounter "Oedipus" at Colonous by Sophocles, "Mofistofels" in Faust play by Gautier, "Chobokov" in Suit play by Chekhov, a member of cultural unit in Vacuum play Eugene Ionesco and one of the characters of Gergon play by Eugene Ionesco, Yago in "Othello" by Shakespeare, and some other characters of Tragedies and Comedies."

"In some of my works, I greatly endeavored to reveal and highlight some of the internal characteristics of human beings such as kindness, disloyalty, and disappointment. In 2005, 60 works of mine in the size of 40 X 60 were displayed in an exhibition held in the Tehran City Theatre Hall coinciding with Fadjr International Theatre Festival. During theses years, there were also some other places in which I found the opportunity to exhibit my works such as Jahan Nama museum in Niavaran Palace, Tehran, a gallery in Artists House, Tehran and etc. One of the attractive points about my works is that they can be presented wherever it is possible; no matter it is a gallery, a museum or even a plain wall of stone or mud! One of the memorable experiences of mine was the display of my masks in historical place of Tappeh Hessar, one of the most ancient monuments in Damghan, Iran which dates back to 7000 years ago. It is worth mentioning that at the current time one of my works is in Bouratini museum, Historical Puppet museum in Italy."

"We are all aware that in this very old universe, there were people of different personalities and characteristics who witnessed the rising and setting of sun very long before us. Now in the age of technology and industry, let not bear in mind that we were and are the only residents of the planet Earth and the heirs of the whole world."

Below is Ali's contact information:

Ali Asghar Khatibzadeh

Email address: Khatibzadeh2005@yahoo.com

Tel: +98 232-5237867

Cell phone: +98 912-1315920

Add: No.125, 7th Alley,

Ayatollah Ghaffari St., Bagh-e- Alemi,

Damghan, Iran