Ehsan Khanaman
Ehsan Khanaman was born in Sweden and moved with his family at the age of 10 to Iran where he found painting. He experienced the Gulf War in Iran first hand and remembers watching bombs destroy families and the landscape, neighborhood starvation, and pervading corruption. He was deeply moved when his father gave food to the refugees and victims of the violence. Ehsan began to wonder if there was another way. Was all this destruction necessary? Is there a way for us to experience true peace as humans? Ehsan and his family moved back to Sweden in his teenage years and Ehsan was then trained under the tutelage of a top fine art mentor. Ehsan started to develop his talents, hearing the words of his teacher, “A true artist innovates.”
In Sweden, Ehsan dealt with racism and was called a gypsy, which made him long for community. He wondered how he could contribute to the world, and the answer was clear: the world would only experience peace through Unity. Ehsan’s burning desire was to create something truly groundbreaking that would have an international impact. Something that could stop the fighting for good. After his family emigrated to the United States, Ehsan continued to paint, and his voice developed, coming alive in vibrant textures and mesmerizing bold colors. Following frustration in a post 9/11 world where talking wasn’t furthering the global mission for peace, Ehsan began his prolific “Visions” collection, and in 2003 the “Vision of Unity” and “Peace” were born. In its completion, the project will be 2,000 paintings spanning a half-acre, equivalent to a 17-story building. Ehsan has participated in and held exhibits at museums, galleries, community events, and activities throughout California. Today, Ehsan deeply believes humanity can bloom and peace is possible. He continues his journey of painting and sharing his “Vision of Unity" and “Peace”, locally, nationally, and worldwide.