Surprisingly – or perhpas not – only 35 artists in the show reside inside Iran and the other 21 dispersed outside Iran. Together they contribute 210 works of painting, sculpture, photography, video, and installation on themes such as gender, war, and politics. Complemented with forums and film screenings, theatre performances, music recitals, and panel discussions, Iran Inside Out is part of Chelsea Art Museum’s 2008-2009 “The East West Project”.
In this round up, art experts and critics from the New York Times to the Huffington Post give their perspectives on this exhibition and report that they are enthralled, mesmerised and surprised. In this rich and challenging show unexpected findings and themes abound. Be sure to scroll down and read Huffington Post’s Marina Bronchman who discovers a controversial new view of the veil and its effect on sexual and gender expression.
Pooneh Maghazehe, Hell’s Puerto Rico Performance Still, Digital C-print 2008 copyright artist and courtesy Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery
In Search of the Axis of Evil
Exhibition section: On War and Politics
Alireza Ghandchi, photographs
Behrang Samadzadegan, There is No One Here But Me, 2006, acrylic on canvas
Behdad Lahooti, A Cliché for Mass Media, 2008, ceramic
Nicky Nodjoumi, The Guard, 2007, oil on canvas
Sara Rahbar, Did You See What Love Did To Us Once Again Flag #32, 2008, mixed media
(from left to right)
© Photo: Courtesy Chelsea Art Museum
Alireza Ghandchi
From the series Pathos, 2006 (left), Photograph, 50 x 40 cm
From the series Hemd, 2007 (right), Photograph, 50 x 40 cm
Exhibition section: In Search of the Axis of Evil / On War and Politics
Behdad Lahooti, A Cliché for Mass Media. 2008, Ceramic with print over
Exhibition section: In Search of the Axis of Evil / On War and Politics
Jinoos Taghizadeh , Rock Scissors Paper. 2009, On Lenticular Print
Exhibition section: In Search of the Axis of Evil / On War and Politics
Arash Hanaei, Abu Ghraib (Or How to Engage In Dialogue). 2007, Digital prints
Exhibition section: In Search of the Axis of Evil / On War and Politics
From Iran to Queeran and Everything in Between
Triptych by Darius Yektai; mixed media sculpture by Shirin Fakhim; in the background, Reza Derakhsahni (60 pieces)
Exhibition section: On Gender and Sexuality
© Photo: Courtesy Chelsea Art Museum
Shirin Fakhim, Tehran Prostitutes. 2008, Mixed media sculpture
Exhibition section: From Iran to Queeran and Everything in Between / On Gender and Sexuality
© Photo: Courtesy of Ministry of Nomads
Newsha Tavakolian, Maria. 2007, Print on photography paper
Exhibition section: From Iran to Queeran and Everything in Between / On Gender and Sexuality
From Iran to Queeran and Everything in Between
Installation with apples: Amir Mobed, Virginity, 1995 - 2009
Hanging piece by Pooneh Maghazehe
In the background (left to right)
Khosrow Hassanzadeh, Pahlavan II Ready to Order, 2008
Sadegh Tirafkhan, Sacrifice Series, 2003
Ramin Haerizadeh, Theater Group, 2005
Exhibition section: On Gender and Sexuality
© Photo: Courtesy Chelsea Art Museum
Chelsea Art Museum: Curators Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath
The curators explain that Iran Inside Out defies the traditional perceptions of Iran and Iranian art:
(Art Radar editor note: the curators of Saatchi’s Middle Eastern show ‘Unveiled’ (in which Iranian art predominated) earlier in 2009 also claimed to go beyond the ‘worn out’ to present a more nuanced and alternative view of art from the Middle East - this was hotly contested by some reviewers who were surprised to find that, on the contrary, bloodshed, repression and gender inequality were ubiquitous and courageously expressed. See related posts section below for the review round up of Saatchi’s show).
Yet there are differences between insiders and outsiders say the curators:
Ironically, contrary to one’s expectations, the artists living abroad often draw more on their cultural heritage, while those on the inside focus more on issues of everyday life without much regard to what ‘the outside’ views as specifically Iranian references. Yet, within these disparities, one element stands strong: the recurrent references, sometimes ambiguous, at times emotional, often nostalgic and on occasion satirical and even tragic to Iran the country, Iran the past, the Iran which has been lost and that which could be found.
New York Times: Holland Cotter
However, not all of them advocate social causes. Some artists employ a less aggressive tone:
Repression both inside and outside Iran is under scrutiny in a piece by Mitra Tabrizian about the roles of both the West and Muslim clergy in Iran’s modern history. In photographs by Arash Hanaei, brutal scenes from the Iran-Iraq war and Abu Ghraib are played out by bound and gagged dolls.
Huffington Post: Marissa Bronfman
Shocked and enthralled by the creative artwork at the exhibition, Bronfman comments:
A sense of duality was apparent in all the various pieces I saw at the exhibit, and there is an interesting geographical duality influencing the artists as well. The artists still living in Iran must struggle with avoiding government censors while not compromising with self-censorship, and those living outside strive to assume an “unlabeled artist-status” within a West-centric contemporary art world. The museum reminds us of their important commonality, however, such that all 56 artists desire to “establish an individual artistic identity free from the stigma of “stereotype” and “locality.”
She explains what draws her the most about the Tehran Shopping Malls by Saghar Daeeri:
Related Links:
© Photo: Courtesy Chelsea Art Museum
Iran Recycled: From Vintage to Vogue
Pouran Jinchi, Alef Series, 2009
Elmer’s glue and Ink and varnish on canvas
In the background: Samira Abbasy, Eternal War, 2009, oil on gesso panel
Exhibition section: On Reinventing the Traditional Art Forms
© Photo: Courtesy Chelsea Art Museum
Farideh Lashai, I don’t want to be a tree. 2008, Video projection on canvas
Exhibition section: Iran Recycled: From Vintage to Vogue / On Reinventing the Traditional Art Forms
© Photo: Courtesy Chelsea Art Museum
Siamak Filazadeh, ROSTAM 2 The Return. 2008, Photomontages
Shiva Ahmadi, Oil Barrel No. 3,4,5. 2009, Oil on Steel
Exhibition section: Iran Recycled: From Vintage to Vogue / On Reinventing the Traditional Art Forms
© Photo: Courtesy Chelsea Art Museum
Siamak Filizadeh, Rostam Marries Tahmineh. 2008, Digital print on canvas
Exhibition section: Iran Recycled: From Vintage to Vogue / On Reinventing the Traditional Art Forms
Shiva Ahmadi, Oil Barrel No. 5. 2009, Oil on steel
Exhibition section: Iran Recycled: From Vintage to Vogue / On Reinventing the Traditional Art Forms
Works by Daryoush Gharahzad, Bita Fayyazi, Arash Sedaghatkish, Arman Stepanian
Exhibition section: Where in the World: City Quiz / On Street Culture within Tehran
© Photo: Courtesy Chelsea Art Museum
Bita Fayyazi in cooperation with Rokni Haerizadeh
The Purple Scream. 2009, Fiberglass, acrylic and watercolor
Exhibition section: Where in the World: City Quiz / On Street Culture within Tehran
© Photo: Courtesy Chelsea Art Museum
Arash Sedaghatkish
Untitled. 2008, Watercolor on paper
© Photo: Courtesy Chelsea Art Museum
Shoja Azari, Windows Animation. 2006, Animation HD Video
Exhibition section: Where in the World: City Quiz / On Street Culture within Tehran
Pooneh Maghazehe, Embroidered dresses. 2008
Hell’s Puerto Rico. 2008, Performance still
Exhibition section: The Culture Shop: Special Sale on Stereotypes - All Must Go! / On Culture as Commodity
© Photo: Courtesy Chelsea Art Museum
Chelsea Art Museum: Curators Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath
The curators explain that Iran Inside Out defies the traditional perceptions of Iran and Iranian art:
An intimate look into the people, both inside and outside a country that is more complex than images of veiled women, worn out calligraphy and what a handful of other emblematic images would suggest…an examination of the means through which a young generation of artists is reconciling the daily implications of cultural and geographical distances with the search for individual artistic expression…offers an unexpected insight into the artistic energy of a culture that is constantly evolving as Iranians living both in and out of the country, come of age living and working in contentious societies.
(Art Radar editor note: the curators of Saatchi’s Middle Eastern show ‘Unveiled’ (in which Iranian art predominated) earlier in 2009 also claimed to go beyond the ‘worn out’ to present a more nuanced and alternative view of art from the Middle East - this was hotly contested by some reviewers who were surprised to find that, on the contrary, bloodshed, repression and gender inequality were ubiquitous and courageously expressed. See related posts section below for the review round up of Saatchi’s show).
Yet there are differences between insiders and outsiders say the curators:
Ironically, contrary to one’s expectations, the artists living abroad often draw more on their cultural heritage, while those on the inside focus more on issues of everyday life without much regard to what ‘the outside’ views as specifically Iranian references. Yet, within these disparities, one element stands strong: the recurrent references, sometimes ambiguous, at times emotional, often nostalgic and on occasion satirical and even tragic to Iran the country, Iran the past, the Iran which has been lost and that which could be found.
New York Times: Holland Cotter
Holland Cotter elaborates on how Iranian cultural references run through the show in this 30th-anniversary year of the Iranian revolution. For this critic, whether inside or out, artists are in touch with their cultural history.
Golnaz Fathi, who lives in Tehran, walks the line between calligraphy and abstraction in his paintings; so does Pouran Jinchi, who lives in New York. The heroic epic called “The Book of Kings” is given an action-hero update by Siamak Filizadeh of Tehran, but also in film stills by Sadegh Tirafkan, who spends part of his time in Toronto.
“Zaal arrives to help Rostam, ROSTAM 2 The Return” by Siamak Filizadeh(2008)
Female artists are given the spotlight, too:
Alireza Dayani’s fantastical historical drawings; Newsha Tavakolian’s photographic study of a transsexual; Saghar Daeeri’s paintings of Tehran’s boutique shoppers; Shirin Fakhim’s sculptural salute to the city’s prostitutes. Abbas Kowsari documents cadet training for chador-clad female police officers in Tehran. Less interestingly, Shahram Entekhabi draws chadors in black Magic Marker on images of dating-service models.
However, not all of them advocate social causes. Some artists employ a less aggressive tone:
Ahmad Morshedloo’s tender paintings of sleepers, Reza Paydari’s portrait of school friends and the mysterious little films of Shoja Azari are in this category.
Nevertheless, ambiguity does not equate with absence of politics in these artwork:
Repression both inside and outside Iran is under scrutiny in a piece by Mitra Tabrizian about the roles of both the West and Muslim clergy in Iran’s modern history. In photographs by Arash Hanaei, brutal scenes from the Iran-Iraq war and Abu Ghraib are played out by bound and gagged dolls.
Flavorpill New York: Leah Taylor
Sara Rahbar, ‘Flag #5′, 2007. Textile/mixed media, 65×35 inches
Taylor praises Iran Inside Out as one of the timeliest exhibitions in history:
With violence and political unrest roiling in that country, this exhibit takes a closer look at its inherent contradictions, tradition, culture, identity, and struggle — especially as faced by its younger generation of artists. As gruesome descriptions and footage of the election-protest clampdown continue to slip through Iranian censors daily, having Iran Inside Out’s creative insight into the country seems a privilege, indeed.
Huffington Post: Marissa Bronfman
Shocked and enthralled by the creative artwork at the exhibition, Bronfman comments:
A sense of duality was apparent in all the various pieces I saw at the exhibit, and there is an interesting geographical duality influencing the artists as well. The artists still living in Iran must struggle with avoiding government censors while not compromising with self-censorship, and those living outside strive to assume an “unlabeled artist-status” within a West-centric contemporary art world. The museum reminds us of their important commonality, however, such that all 56 artists desire to “establish an individual artistic identity free from the stigma of “stereotype” and “locality.”
She explains what draws her the most about the Tehran Shopping Malls by Saghar Daeeri:
Saghar Daeeri, Shopping Malls of Tehran – Acrylic (Aaron Gallery).
The paintings came to life with a stunning palette of vibrant colors and women depicted in a grotesque, almost fantastical rendering. Heavily made up faces, lacquered nails and peroxide hair instantly made me think these Iranian women were influenced by typical American ideals of beauty. However, Hanna Azemati, who works at CAM and presided over the show, offered a wonderful perspective that I hadn’t originally considered. She told me that, “Because of the compulsory veil, women express their femininity through venues that are allowed in exaggerated ways. They resort to excessive make-up, overdone highlighted hair, thin eyebrows, long colored nails and even suggestive behavior.” This dualism that Iranian women must grapple with, between veiling and self-expression, was communicated with profound contradiction and was really quite mesmerizing.
Related Links:
•56 artist show Iran Inside Out – Will election unrest fan the debate about Iranian contemporary art?
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