About Torabi

Reza Torabi was born in 1980 in Iran and began painting at a very early age. After finishing high school, he attended Fine Art University where he studied art as well as traditional and classical Persian and Azari music.

He had his first solo show in 2003 followed by various award winning shows throughout Iran spanning over several years. His primary mediums were oils and pen-and-ink. One particular show of interest was his show called “Bread for Life” which took him to the Netherlands and into Armenia.

Torabi longed to share his passion and techniques. Back in Iran, he began teaching oil painting in his atelier and on weekends he played music. His life exuded the arts both visual and performance. As a professionally trained classical singer, he formed an orchestral band, which toured throughout Armenia and Iran. A concert in Karaj, Iran resulted in his arrest and that of the entire orchestration. He and the company were forbidden by the government to be active in any artistic or musical appearances. In order to pursue his career and life in the arts, he relocated to Turkey.

While in Turkey, he embraced his new found freedom to express himself as an artist and to experiment in different techniques and subject matter. The focus of his first exhibition in Turkey was black India ink drawings. This show was the start of a new era for him - a rebirth. Torabi soon was awarded a teaching position in Turkey and taught many different mediums such as oil, acrylic, and his most revered  - India ink. Life in Turkey embraced and encouraged all that he loved; however, with his dream to paint in the United States still before him, he actively pursued a cross-continental move.

In 2012 with the help of the United Nation’s artistic freedom refugee program, he was able to move to the United States of America. He soon found his place for the arts within the U.S. Currently residing in Georgia, Torabi continues to paint portraits, landscapes, and figuratives while experimenting in abstraction. His desire to grow, explore, and expand as an artist keeps his mind and heart focused on his craft. He also continues to play music and sing with a group of musicians.