{"id":501319,"date":"2025-09-26T11:30:44","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T08:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.noupou.gr\/?p=501319"},"modified":"2025-09-26T11:55:05","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T08:55:05","slug":"ali-fouladi-painting-is-my-dialogue-with-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.noupou.gr\/en\/interviews\/ali-fouladi-painting-is-my-dialogue-with-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Ali Fouladi: \u201cPainting is my dialogue with the world\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ali Fouladi, co-founder and owner of the construction company iLand, is not your typical entrepreneur. First and foremost, he defines himself as an artist. A painter with a deep, inner urge to create, he views both life and business through the lens of art. It\u2019s no coincidence that his company\u2019s buildings are named after, and inspired by, great creators\u2014from Picasso and Goya to Lorca and Mondrian.<\/p>\n

For Mr. Fouladi, creation is nothing less than a necessity. As he explains to NouPou: \u201cPainting is my way of giving voice to emotions that words cannot contain. It\u2019s a dialogue with myself and, at the same time, a bridge to others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mr. Fouladi, let\u2019s start from the beginning. How did you first take up painting, and what philosophy guides your work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been painting since childhood. I was lucky to train with many teachers, for whom I feel very proud. Art has been the most important element of my life from an early age. Although studied engineering, I wouldn\u2019t call myself an engineer. The essence of who I am is painting, art, and a particular way of seeing life. That\u2019s what sets me apart from other entrepreneurs or engineers\u2014it\u2019s the artistic philosophy that permeates everything I do.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

So, art is a way of life for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Absolutely. When you\u2019re an artist, you\u2019re driven by an insatiable thirst to create. You can\u2019tsimply repeat yourself. You must constantly explore, experiment, bring something new into being. If you stop, life loses its meaning. For me, the day I stop creating will be the day I die.<\/p>\n

Painting is not just about standing in front of a canvas\u2014it\u2019s an inner process. If I had to describe it, I\u2019d say it\u2019s similar to a mother giving birth. When a painting is finished and stands before me, it feels like I\u2019m seeing it for the first time. That\u2019s when I realize what I had been carrying inside me. Painting is a journey of self-discovery, of probing the unknown, and also of connecting with the world. Because the emotions captured on canvas don\u2019t belong only to me\u2014I\u2019m simply their vessel. I carry the weight and energy of society, of history, of all people past and present. My paintings reflect that collective essence within me.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fear of falling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Each work brings me greater clarity. It\u2019s a revelation, like those described by John in the Book of Revelation. Everyone has their own way of expressing themselves\u2014mine is painting.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never stopped, and I know I never will. Painting is my life\u2019s calling. I often think of Pablo Picasso. Even at 92, on the last day of his life, he painted for eight hours. That shows what it means to be an artist\u2014you can\u2019t stop. The creative flow must remain alive.<\/p>\n

How does art connect with your business ventures?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m a multifaceted person. I enjoy turning ideas into something tangible and useful for society, which is why I entered real estate development and construction. I never studied architecture, but I was drawn to it because it allowed me to express emotions on a larger scale\u2014through buildings.<\/p>\n

Early on, I also realized a hard truth: living solely from art is incredibly difficult. Artists must sell their works to make a living, and that has always been hard for me. I\u2019ve sold very few paintings and gifted even fewer. I\u2019m too attached to them\u2014they\u2019re pieces of myself. Giving them away feels like giving away part of who I am. Even when I gave works as gifts, I often regretted it, realizing the recipient didn\u2019t truly deserve them.<\/p>\n

Of course, my work evolves with my life. Everything I experience finds its way onto the canvas. In 2007, for example, I began a series exploring \u201cfears\u201d. That period gave birth to works I still continue today\u2014a journey that remains unfinished.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fear of loneliness<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I noticed that in this series you have works titled \u201cFear of Loneliness\u201d and \u201cFear of Falling.\u201d Were these drawn from personal experiences?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, there was a time when I felt lonely, like everyone does. I think we all fear loneliness at some point, or fear surrendering to the unknown. But sometimes we must let go, overcome the fear of \u201cfalling,\u201d even \u201cfall\u201d\u2014to discover new worlds.<\/p>\n

What inspires you now to begin a new painting?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The need to create something new. To outdo myself. I don\u2019t see other people as competitors\u2014my only competition is with myself. Each day, I strive to be more creative, more successful, and also a better person. That pursuit keeps me awake and alive.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Who are your favorite artists?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s always a difficult question for an artist\u2014we carry many influences within us. I\u2019d single out Picasso. Not because he\u2019s my absolute favorite, but because he is undeniably one of history\u2019s greatest. Some admire him, others criticize him, but no one can deny his impact on modern art and its philosophy.<\/p>\n

He lived a long life and stayed at the creative forefront for decades. That\u2019s rare\u2014most artists are only recognized after death. Picasso, though, was respected, admired, and celebrated during his lifetime. He was too influential to ignore. He redefined art itself: introducing Cubism, reshaping composition, opening entirely new paths.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Another artist I deeply admire is Jackson Pollock. Picasso once said that after him there would be no new art movements, only combinations of existing ones. But Pollock went beyond that\u2014he destroyed every notion of composition. His canvases are pure revolt, a complete revolution against all definitions that came before. That\u2019s what I admire: his absolute freedom.<\/p>\n

Where do you work on your art?<\/strong><\/p>\n

At home, in a dedicated studio. Right now, I\u2019m working on a large piece titled \u201cThe Fear of Happiness.\u201d It\u2019s a challenging subject because many people struggle to accept happiness. Sometimes, when someone feels intensely happy, they\u2019re gripped by the fear they don\u2019t deserve it\u2014or that they\u2019ll lose it.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fear of happiness<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How do you connect art with the buildings you construct?<\/strong><\/p>\n

For me, that connection is essential. I always need to create something new and different. That\u2019s how buildings named after artists like Goya, Picasso, Mondrian, and Lorca came about. We don\u2019t copy their works\u2014we translate elements of their art into architecture.<\/p>\n

Goya, for example, expressed sarcasm and used curving forms, which we incorporated into our \u201cGoya\u201d building. Lorca, on the other hand, was more difficult\u2014he wasn\u2019t a painter but a poet, full of emotion and romanticism. Even so, we worked to capture his spirit and bring it into our buildings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ali Fouladi, co-founder and owner of the construction company iLand, is not your typical entrepreneur. First and foremost, he defines himself as an artist. A painter with a deep, inner urge to create, he views both life and business through the lens of art. It\u2019s no coincidence that his company\u2019s buildings are named after, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":500424,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7119],"tags":[],"real_estate_agency":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.noupou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501319"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.noupou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.noupou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noupou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/90"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noupou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=501319"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.noupou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501319\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":502174,"href":"https:\/\/www.noupou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501319\/revisions\/502174"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noupou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/500424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.noupou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=501319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noupou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=501319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noupou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=501319"},{"taxonomy":"real_estate_agency","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noupou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/real_estate_agency?post=501319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}