User:Reza.H.Malek/sandbox

= Sirous Malek = Sirous Malek is an Iranian-American artist, musician, and photographer currently residing in Southern California. He is known for his Persian influenced abstract art.

Early Life & Education
Sirous Malek was born in Tabriz, Iran, on August 10, 1935. He began to show an ability for drawing at the early age of four. After completion of high school he attended and graduated from the Tehran Art Academy. By the time of his graduation his works of art had been exhibited in several galleries and professional institutions throughout Tehran and other cities in Iran. He would continue his art studies at the Fine Arts & Architecture Department at Tehran University, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (B.F.A.). In 1962 he established the Tallar Iran Art Gallery in Tehran.

U.S. Education & Early Career
In 1968 Malek came to the United States to work towards a Masters degree at the University of Iowa and Southern Illinois University where he majored in Art and Environmental & Industrial Design. It was at the University of Southern Illinois where Malek met and was a student of R. Buckminster Fuller, one of America's most distinguished engineers of his time.

Malek began to exhibit his paintings at some universities in Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Arkansas. By this time he also had exhibitions occurring overseas such as La Biennale Di Venezia, The Brussels International Art Expo, and other exhibits in Tel Aviv, Tehran, Shiraz, Delhi, and Turkey.

In 1973 Malek was invited by Tehran University to establish and teach in an industrial design and art program. During his time teaching Malek continued to participate in multiple local exhibitions. He taught at the university for seven years until 1980 when he and his wife and daughter left Iran following the revolution and overthrow of the Shah.

Upon return to the United States Malek established his own studio and business in Springfield, Virginia, where he continued to produced and exhibit his art before deciding to move to Southern California in 1991 where the art scene and culture was much more prevalent.

Present Day
Malek presently resides in the city of Mission Viejo, CA, where he continues the creation and exhibition of his artworks, and the teaching of art and photography.