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interview
with Iranian Caricaturist His works always set smile on lips of all the viewers and everybody accept it. Abdi in spite of being a proficient cartoonist is a very good joker too.
He was born on
February 1951 in Noushahr .He has MA in official management.
Currently one of his occupations is training in "Iranian
House of Cartoon". Why did you choose Cartoon? It is said that everybody should be either lover or crazy!
What was your first cartoon? Cartoon of my teacher when I was a teenager and then a punishment!
What's your best cartoon?
I hadn’t drawn
it yet!
Tell us about your prizes and your best prize? Before Mr. Massoud Shojai encouraging me I've never been participated in any cartoon competition, so I hadn’t won any special prize. But the most important one was being selected for the best work in the second biennial of arts and graphics in IRAN in 1989 for the cartoons of writers and poets.
You have once won the special prize of "Aydin Dogan", what's your opinion about this competition? The first thing that attracted my attention was the order and law of this exhibition and also participation of the best cartoonists of the world, and the other thing was their very good reception.
In your opinion who is the best Iranian and Foreigner cartoonist?
Iranians are
Mr Latifi and
Ali Derakhshi, and Foreigner are
Sempe,
Mordillo and
Quino.
When did you start training? I trained painting to children in IRIB because of insistence of one of children's mother, but I officially started my work in "House of Cartoon" 3or 4 years ago.
Was any famous cartoonist one day your trainee? No, because it's not a long time that I've started training, but once Mr Latifi honored me and participated in my class and made me very happy.
Is there any learning point that you yourself must learn? Yes there are still lots of points that I should learn myself. This is the nature of human being that each day becomes more complete, if not he can't work any more. So I'm still learning even from the younger artists.
Tell us about your cartoon book for training pupils?
I will finish
the book soon, and I have to say that my classes in "Iranian House
of Cartoon" helped me a lot for becoming able to use my experiences
in class and reaching a rule and style, so I owe drawing of this
book to "Iranian House of Cartoon".
Why do you use lots of colors in your works? When I've started my professional work, Mr Davalou in Cartoon Magazine colored my works instead of me .After the revolution I had to do it myself and because my major job in IRIB was animation and I worked with warm colors and also I used colors in children book ,they all became the reason for using colors in my cartoons .
When your first cartoon was published? In 1969 that cartoon magazines had a special page for local cartoonists and I won my first prize that was 5 gold coins.
Do you prefer to be a periodical or exhibition cartoonist? I'm a periodical cartoonist because exhibitions are not available to everybody and everyone doesn’t go to see an exhibition but periodicals are more available. I criticize in periodicals and I enjoy that all kinds of people see my works, but exhibition works are more recommendatory.
How do you find your ideas? It's very simple and common .For example one of my works that was printed in Hamshahri newspaper shows a street full of bumps and exactly after the bumps there is a speed bump! This cartoon is real because in my way to work I really observe it everyday. For recommendatory works I think more!
Was there any time that you couldn’t find any idea for a special subject?
Many times! For
example once I couldn’t find any idea for a competition but when I
saw its catalogue I found that there were lots of idea that didn’t
come in my mind.
Do you use eraser in your works? Yes, at the beginning of my works I always draw simple to see the extent of my work and then I complete it. If an eraser can make a work better it's ok, what is important is the work that people observe!
When you worked in IRIB did you drew by a pen or directly? A producer had seen my periodical works and invited me to cooperate in a TV program. It was my first time so I drew by pen in light color and then made it colored but I was not satisfied with it, so I decided to make my works directly and I also found more self confidence ,and because of speed in my works the short comings were not recognizable .
What's the specialty of a good cartoon? It should give its message immediately, and it has to be effective and pleasant for the viewers.
Do you think a cartoonist should be a joker too? Not always. I know cartoonists in IRAN that work dark satire and make the viewers think but are very witty. And I also know stern cartoonists that make sweet satire. Being witty can help a cartoonist to find comic ideas easier but it's not a rule.
What would you do if you were not a cartoonist?
I also tried to
become a cartoonist.
How can become Bahman Abdi? I have to say that try to find Mordillo, perhaps you can become Bahman Abdi .but seriously you should practice more and more.
What was the best cartoon you've ever seen? The best Iranian cartoon was works of Mr Latifi in 40s and 50s that had really influenced my works.
Have you ever drawn your own caricature? Yes many times, but I think the best one was the caricature that Mr Alizadeh had drawn in 1977.The caricature of Jan Op De Beeck was good too but it was very exaggerating.
What's your opinion about "House of Cartoon"?
The best and
perhaps the only help for cartoon in IRAN, I should say that it’s
the only source that works in extent of a trade union but its
efforts hadn’t been demonstrated so much, however it quietly
continues the protection from cartoon in IRAN .Every body knows the
real efforts of "Iranian House of Cartoon".
In the 7th Tehran Biennial you were one of the members of selection Board and also members of jurors .What's your opinion about the 7th Biennial? In my opinion it was one of the best cartoon biennials in Tehran that in spite of great number of Iranian and Foreigner participants and good programming it was very well; whenever I compare it with Aydin Dogan I see the growth of the 7th biennial, specially the place of the exhibition was much better.
What was your best memory of the 7th Biennial?
Kozobukin was a very quite man and
whenever we gathered in the lobby of hotel he was very silent, but
the night that
Jan Op De Beeck drew the caricature
of every one we joked and laughed with
What was your worst memory of the 7th Biennial? The bitterness was, because the works had to be selected by majority of the jurors sometimes you couldn’t gain what you desired.
In the day of selecting works in the 7th Biennial I saw you were considering the works very carefully .Do you think selecting is harder or to be selected? I think being selected is harder. Selecting is easier if we know what we want. In selecting what is more important for me is satire.
Describe Bahman Abdi in one sentence?
Aunlucky person.
What's your hobby? My job and watching TV.
How much did you practice to reach in this situation? Very much, sometimes I arrived from work to home at 10 o'clock and I draw cartoon from 11pm to 6am, and this made my eyes weak.
Do you like which subject be your last artwork? I like to draw history of IRAN in large size ,but my eyes can’t afford it.
Do you think cartoonists can become retired too? No, till the time they can work with their eyes and hands they won't become retired.
What's your great expectation? Having peace in mind and thought, and not to be in need of anybody.
How much do you feel responsible for the society? I think artists and famous people must be careful about their behaviors in the society, so whatever I do I try to do for the benefit of the society.
Do you think you have done this responsibility well? I tried to do so.
What are you doing currently? I'm finishing my cartoon book and also I'm drawing a cartoon character for Emdad Khodro Iran .I write essays and I do series of advertisement and business graphic works too.
Do you also work animation?
I haven’t done
it for many years, but perhaps I start it again.
Have you ever been punished for drawing a cartoon? Yes, both before and after the revolution. I remember that I had drawn a cartoon in an artistic– literal monthly magazine about one prose of Moulana, and Savak took the director of the magazine.
When you hear the word "Red Line" what do you remember? Should and shouldn’t, and most of the time shouldn’t.
Do you think what your most important responsibility is? To be an honest person and be truthful with the viewers.
Do you think which part of life is like cartoon? I think all parts of life from birth to death is like cartoon.
Have you expected to win a prize in 8th Biennial? No, I haven’t expected.
What was your feeling when you heard to won a prize in Comic strip section?
I became happy
and also upset. I became happy for winning the first prize in one of
the most credible cartoon ceremonies of the world. And became
upset because I think that now it’s the turn of younger cartoonists
to win the prizes. Perhaps if I didn’t participate in this
competition, a young cartoonist could be the winner of this prize.
On the other hand I know that participating of the professional
persons in each competition improves the quality of that ceremony
.It was totally a paradox for me.
What's your opinion about the 8th Biennial? It was one of the most successful Biennials in IRAN, and it had a real progress in both quality and quantity.
Did you like any question that I hadn’t asked you? No.
The last sentence? I have an advice for young people. One of Iranian's specialties is their impatience and rush for reaching the result soon, specialty young people. They even want to be successful and gain awards immediately, but for success in field of art, lots of efforts and patience is needed. You must have self-confidence and work tireless to become successful.
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