Hossein Valamanesh

Hossein Valamanesh (2 March 1949 – 15 January 2022) was an Iranian-Australian contemporary artist who lived and worked in Adelaide, South Australia. He worked in mixed media, printmaking, installations, and sculpture. He often collaborated with his wife, Angela Valamanesh.

Early life and education Hossein Valamanesh was born in Tehran, Iran on 2 March 1949. He worked with theatre director Bijan Mofid from 1968 to 1971, and graduated from at the Tehran School of Art in Tehran in 1970. He worked with the Round Earth Company and Aboriginal children.

In October 2005, a piece of public art by Angela and Hossein, incorporating water, 14 Pieces, situated on North Terrace in front of the South Australian Museum in Adelaide, was officially unveiled. Its form is based on the vertebrae of an extinct marine reptile, the ichthyosaur, held by the museum.

Valamanesh worked closely over decades with the Art Gallery of South Australia in Adelaide.

Recognition and awards Valamanesh was awarded a number of fellowships, commissions, grants, residencies, and other honours, including:

1982: Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council for the Arts grant 1991: Visual Arts Board Fellowship Residency at Kunstlerhaus Bethanien 1997: Grand Prize at the 8th Asian Biennial 1998 Australia Council Fellowship in 1998.

In 2013, Valamanesh featured in the ABC / BBC joint production documentary series The Art Of Australia hosted by Edmund Capon, in the first episode entitled Strangers in a Strange Land.

In November 2022, Valamanesh was posthumously awarded the South Australian Premier's Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Ruby Awards.

In 2007, Valamanesh was amongst 60 artists profiled in Sonia Payes' book Untitled. Portraits of Australian Artists.

Major exhibitions Valamanesh's work has featured in many group exhibitions as well as major and minor solo exhibitions. 23 September 2021 – 19 February 2022: Puisque tout passe ("This Will Also Pass"), first European solo exhibition, at the in Paris.

Later life, family and death On 15 January 2022, Valamanesh died of a heart attack in Adelaide, at the age of 72. He was survived by his wife Angela

Public art collections Valamanesh's work is included in major public art collections in Australia and abroad, including:

Alice Springs Art Centre, Alice Springs Artbank, Australia Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth Gryphon Gallery, University of Melbourne Kadist Art Foundation, Paris, France Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Newcastle Art Gallery, Newcastle, New South Wales Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane Sara Hildén Art Museum, Finland University of South Australia, Adelaide University of Western Australia, Perth University of Queensland, Brisbane Western Australian Institute of Technology, Perth