šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énk Square
Mohsen Khalili
Study of Little Prince and His Little Planet III & IV
The works presented at Lantern City for LunarFest belong to a series entitled Planets Visited by the Little Prince (2013–2019). Inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s celebrated novella The Little Prince, this work explores themes of loneliness, the joy and burden of creativity, and the longing for understanding and connection.
Mohsen Khalili (b. 1966, Tehran) is an Iranian Canadian multidisciplinary conceptual artist based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Over a career spanning more than three decades, Khalili’s work has been exhibited widely across Canada and internationally, including in the United States, Iran, Japan, Taiwan, and Kuwait.
Khalili’s practice is deeply informed by his lived experiences of displacement, physical disability, and isolation. His paintings and sculptures often explore disparate visual elements that struggle to belong, function, or communicate within a larger structural framework. While his work is situated in dialogue with multiple artistic traditions and techniques, Khalili’s creative process remains instinctive and materially driven.
Drawing on a wide range of artistic disciplines and mediums, Khalili focuses on constructing an inclusive visual language that emphasizes the universality of the experiences and anxieties present in his work—offering viewers a space for collective catharsis and shared understanding.
Artist image: Courtesy of VIVA Alliance. Two Rivers Gallery, Prince George, BC. Photo by Focal Point Studios.
šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énk Square
Mohsen Khalili
Study of Little Prince and His Little Planet III & IV
The works presented at Lantern City for LunarFest belong to a series entitled Planets Visited by the Little Prince (2013–2019). Inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s celebrated novella The Little Prince, this work explores themes of loneliness, the joy and burden of creativity, and the longing for understanding and connection.
Mohsen Khalili (b. 1966, Tehran) is an Iranian Canadian multidisciplinary conceptual artist based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Over a career spanning more than three decades, Khalili’s work has been exhibited widely across Canada and internationally, including in the United States, Iran, Japan, Taiwan, and Kuwait.
Khalili’s practice is deeply informed by his lived experiences of displacement, physical disability, and isolation. His paintings and sculptures often explore disparate visual elements that struggle to belong, function, or communicate within a larger structural framework. While his work is situated in dialogue with multiple artistic traditions and techniques, Khalili’s creative process remains instinctive and materially driven.
Drawing on a wide range of artistic disciplines and mediums, Khalili focuses on constructing an inclusive visual language that emphasizes the universality of the experiences and anxieties present in his work—offering viewers a space for collective catharsis and shared understanding.
Artist image: Courtesy of VIVA Alliance. Two Rivers Gallery, Prince George, BC. Photo by Focal Point Studios.
The Lantern City is grateful to be held on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam Indian Band), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish Nation), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). We acknowledge our privilege to be gathered on this land, and commit to work with and be respectful to the Indigenous peoples whose arts and stories inspire us to bring communities together.
