TEHRAN-The 8th Stairway Exhibition is underway at the Arts Club Dubai with works by renowned artists from the region selected from a collection by the Farjam Foundation, a private, non-profit, non-governmental organization.
Titled “Contemporary Middle East,” the exhibition showcases pieces by Middle Eastern artists whose works fall across a spectrum of styles, techniques, and aesthetics, Iran Art reported.
The Farjam Foundation is founded by Iranian art collector Farhad Farjam. Its collection encompasses Islamic, Middle Eastern, and Western art, including works that span from pre-Islamic times to contemporary pieces.
The selected pieces display the breadth of contemporary artists who have significantly contributed to the cultural dialogue and artistic landscape.
The exhibition features eight works spread across two floors alongside the stairway wall, two of which are by Iranian artists Farhad Moshiri and Siamak Filizadeh.
The conceptually rich work by internationally esteemed artist Moshiri, which has its roots in the pop art movement, subtly explores displacement, transformation, and socio-political commentary. The other Iranian artist Filizadeh combines traditional motifs with contemporary elements.
Born in Shiraz, the capital of Fars Province, Moshiri, 60, is currently based in Tehran. In his works, he addresses contemporary Iranian norms and traditions and simultaneously reflects on recent cultural developments in his homeland.
His artwork is rooted in pop art dialect with a subtle, subversive socio-political commentary. Moshiri’s richly embellished paintings and sculptures explore the intersection of Eastern and Western popular culture, the tension between traditional craft and contemporary art practice, and the malleable nature of identity.
His interest in pop art and kitsch resonates throughout his work. Many of his visuals are pulled from cartoons, films, comic strips, children’s books, and advertisements, while phrases appropriated from classical poetry, soap operas, and pop songs blur the lines between art and cliché.
By selecting ambiguous source images that reference both American and Iranian popular culture, Moshiri takes a complex look at how cultural identity is defined.
Born in Tehran, Filizadeh, 53, holds a BA degree in graphic design. In 1988, he started his career as a graphic designer, working in different fields of design, advertising, branding, and visual arts. He has been appointed as the art director and graphic designer for several large institutions and international festivals and has been awarded numerous prizes for the design of posters and books.
He has held five solo exhibitions in Tehran and has been featured in group exhibitions in Tehran, Texas, Arkansas, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Rio de Janeiro, London, Dubai, Ogaki, and Yokohama.
Moreover, two Emirati artists are featured in the show; Ibrahim, considered an innovator of conceptual art in the Middle East since the 1980s, and painter Al Rais, known for his abstract aesthetic where he combines geometric shapes and Arabic calligraphy.
Tunisian-born artist Nadia Kaabi-Linke, who delves into her personal history of migration across cultures to create conceptual pieces, has one of the biggest pieces in the exhibition,
Other artists in the exhibition include Lebanese painter and sculptor Marwan Sahmarani, known for his techniques using thick and expressive brushstrokes; and the Palestinian-American abstract artist Samia Halaby, who is recognized for her play with bold colors and geometric shapes.
The Arts Club was founded in London in 1863 to provide a haven for those with a professional or amateur relationship with the arts, literature, or sciences, and it has continued to welcome a community of discerning thinkers and thought leaders ever since.
The Arts Club Dubai is the first international outpost of the historic London private members’ club. Unveiled in 2020, the Club stands in Dubai International Financial Center, the heart of the city’s financial center.
“The Stairway Exhibition: Contemporary Middle East” will be on display at The Arts Club Dubai until February 25, 2024.
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