Freed Fish

Like a ritual, on many occasions during the past decade, I have dropped my stones, which have imaginary fish carved onto them, into rivers, canals, reservoirs, and seas. My fish consequently drop or are 'freed' to the bottom of a body of water and remain there forever. Hiding does not mean degeneration and death.  I wish bringing better environment, life and fertility. 

My ‘stone fish’ meets the water

RiverArt.Net introduces works by Ahmad Nadalian who is internationally known for his environmental art projects.  His works draw upon a wide range of symbols from ancient rituals and mythologies with new interpretations to those belonging to the contemporary subject matters that emerge from the use of his new style of languages and technologies. His concepts therefore, are expressed through a variety of media and techniques, including carved stones, installations, performances, video, and web art and interactive pieces which require the participation of the general public.  

Water water everywhere    and the boards did shrink;

water water everywhere,     and not a drop to drink...

Samuel Taylor  Coleridge "The rhyme of the ancient mariner"

River Art Project

Nadalian has traveled widely and moves like a fish transgressing international borders., leaving graphic messages on all continents but Antarctica in the form of etched stones, thousands of them, large and small, on which he has inscribed or painted; fish, crabs, nautilus spirals,  human hands, feet, and goddesses. The works, which he has named “River Art”, is composed of carved rocks that have been abandoned at the site where they were created.  Various symbols are incised on boulders; chiefly fish, which for the artist are emblems of the human soul, thirsty to experience life, but also human figures, emblems of hands and feet, and images of birds, goats, snakes, and crabs.

Freed Fish

Over the past decade the artist has frequently traveled to cities and remote regions and locations on every continent and has dropped or cast many of his stones carved with the image of fish into rivers, canals, reservoirs and seas. He captured the moment when his ‘stone fish’ meets the water. Through this ritual action, his wish is to bring a better environment, for life and fertility for all mankind.

Printed sand by Cylinder Seal

Inspired by the ancient example, Nadalian carves large cylinder seals which are then rolled out onto the sand, along the shore or in desert we witness  images of  fish, crabs, snakes, lizards, tortoises, and scorpions, ... One wants to follow the path of these ancient animations and fish symbols to see where they might lead us.  It is his dream to increase the living creature who dying due to global warming and pollution and protect them by his mythological goddess.

Hidden Treasure

During his frequent travels to different parts of the world, Nadalian has burried and hidden many of his carved stones in different land and to create countless treasures.   In addition, many artists and individuals, from different nationalities have carried out and buried or hidden his carvings in the different places on the planet. These mostly show images of fish and human hand and foot traces, and animals.   He usually documents the process of the burial of his works.

Hidden Treasures