Akbar Behkalam's works often deal with political subjects. His early works are influenced by the New European Realism, in a symbiosis with Persian miniature painting. His later works, up to present time can be described as abstract-expressive. A focal point of his works is the depiction of the formation and choreography of mass movements. One recurring theme in his works is the turbulent history of his home country Iran: the series "Persepolis" (1977–1979) deals with old Persian iconography, that is confronted with the depiction of the execution squads of the Shah-regime. In the eighties he produced the series "Justice in Allah's Name", that has the religiously legitimized human rights violations of the Islamic Republic as its central theme. From 1984-1986 Behkalam did extensive research on the German revolution of 1848 and produced several large scale paintings on that subject that were presented in his solo exhibition at the Staatliche Kunsthalle Berlin in 1986. Behkalam has shown his works in many exhibitions in Europe, Asia and North and South America. In 2009 he has been the winner of the Tashkent Biennial in Uzbekistan. Solo exhibitions (selection) 1975 Seyhun Gallery Tehran, Iran 1981 Kunstamt Kreuzberg-Bethanien, Berlin, Germany 1982 Kunstverein Offenbach, Germany 1982 Städtische Galerie Schloß Oberhausen, Germany 1987 Staatliche Kunsthalle Berlin, Germany 1987 Städtische Galerie Schloß Oberhausen 1987 Museum Bochum, Germany 1987 Stadtgalerie Saarbrücken, Germany 1988 Übersee Museum Bremen, Germany 1989 California State University, Los Angeles, USA 1990 Phoebe Conley Art Gallery, Fresno, USA 1991 International Gallery on Broadway, Los Angeles, USA 1991 Workshop III, Joao Pessoa, Paraiba, Brazil 1993 Villa Oppenheim, Berlin, Germany 1998 Gallery Georges Pompidou, Anglet/ Frankreich (with Bernd Kaute and Johannes Heisig) 2005 Spreeport, Ver.di, Berlin 2006 Kunsthalle Arnstadt (with Dorsten Klauke and Trak Wendisch) 2010 Galerie Linneborn, Berlin Group exhibitions (selection) 1977 Hommage à Nazim Hikmet, Kunstamt Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany 1980 Künstler gegen den Krieg, NGBK, Berlin, Germany 1981 30 Jahre BBK, Staatliche Kunsthalle Berlin, Germany 1983 1933 - Wege zur Diktatur, Staatliche Kunsthalle Berlin, Germany 1983 300 Jahre danach, Museum des 20. Jahrhunderts, Wien, Austria 1983 Eine Woche im September, Galerie Hilger, Wien, Austria 1984 Rationalisierung, Staatliche Kunsthalle Berlin, Germany 1984 Otto-Nagel Preis 1984, Rathaus Wedding, Berlin, Germany 1984 Ich lebe in Deutschland, Städtisches Kunstmuseum Bonn, Germany 1984 Goethe Institut Brüssel; Galerie Schöneberg Berlin, Germany 1984 Der Krieg trifft jeden ins Herz, Palast der Künste, Minsk, Russia 1986 Das andere Land, Groß Orangerie, Schloß Charlottenburg, Berlin / Museum Bochum / Paulskirche, Frankfurt/Main / Stadtgalerie Saarbrücken; Kultur unterm Turm, Germany 1986 15 Berliner Künstler in Brasilien, Museu de Arte de São Paulo / Museu de Arte do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil 1986 Berliner Stadtansichrten, Wien, Amsterdam, Nimwegen, London, Istanbul, Paris, Bonn, Berlin 1987 15 Berliner Künstler in Brasilien, Paco Imperial, Rio de Janeiro / Centro de Convencoes, Recife, Brazil 1987-1988 Momentaufnahme (Wanderausstellung durch Brasilien) Joao Pessoa, Paraiba / Museo de Arte Contemporana / Blumenau, Porto Allege, São Paulo, Curitiba / Caracas, Venezuela 2009 5th Taschkent Biennial, Uzbekistan. First Prize.