Visual Dialogues | The Book of Kings | Shirin Neshat & Fereydoun Ave | March 2019

Secret of Words

Mehran Mohajer & Sadegh Tirafkan

November 2006

Total Arts Gallery at the Courtyard and Massoud Nader Present exhibition of Photography by Sadegh Tirafkan with support of Silk Road Gallery this exhibition is accompanied by photographs of Mehran Mohajer Sadegh Tirafkan is a persevering artist who navigates through time and culture in search of his place and identity as an Iranian man in the contemporary world. The medium of photography has become his main platform to construct powerful visual plays, using a combination of elements that he seasons sufficiently with symbolism.

The significance of symbolism throughout Tirafkan’s body of work comes from his Persian root in which direct dialogue is rarely used, but frequently replaced by symbolic languages. How do you inform a culture that has three thousand years of history, rich in tradition and essentially a homogenous and male dominated society? Tirafkan expresses his concerns through images of numerous self-portraits and portraits of friends. He once said, "I began photography by recording what surrounded me. Now I take what is around me in the studio and make it into what I see through the prism of my life and culture." Tirafkan poses himself and others in the studio time after time to explore the meaning of being a contemporary Iranian. Blending tradition, history and memory, he recreates visually compelling scenes that build visceral connection to his ancient country. And this is where the strength and beauty of Tirafkan's work lie.

In reinventing and revisiting Iranian tradition he is also criticizing and challenging his ancestors' long-standing authority. In spite the highly eloquent appearances; I see two hidden trends in his work, which the artist has perhaps introduced even without realizing it: a theatrical staging of all the historic drama of his country, all the painful events of which he experienced intensely, and a discreet journey towards a spirituality which emanates from his whole vision. Here, Tirafkan surreptitiously rejoins the mystical quest which remains, whether we like it or not, the key-stone of any metaphysical edifice of the Iranian world. Born in Iran in 1965, Tirafkan trained as a photographer at the University of Fine Arts in Tehran. Since the late 1990’s he has participated in numerous solo exhibitions and group shows, in Tehran, Paris and New York.

Tirafkan’s work offers an eloquent meditation on modern Iranian man’s relationship to his past and on his search for a meaningful identity in the present. Identity, history and memory have been central concerns in the work of non-western artists since the era of colonialism. Tirafkan, frequently using himself as a model, revisits and reinvents these themes in his series of enigmatic yet visually compelling photographs. He uses words and symbols to communicate with the audience and

Abstract & Lanscape

Mohseni Kermanshahi

February 2005

A. Mohseni was born in 1960, in Kermanshah west of Iran. He started painting with Master Rahim Navesi before moving to Tehran. He held his first one-man show in 1994 and has come a long way from his humble beginnings. Landscape, traditional life and nature were always his main subjects to paint and after moving to UAE he found this passion in the local scenery. T

his exhibition would be an exceptional one in Mohseni’s career since he is entering a new period after 10 years of professionally painting landscapes and still life witch is still the close to Mohseni’s heart in a different way. Mohseni has participated in more than 40 solo and group exhibitions in Iran including Tehran Contemporary Art Museum, Australia, Kuwait and the UAE. Mohseni has won a special award from Tehran Contemporary Art Museum as the best Artist of the year in 1996. Mohseni has published 2 books, which are: 1. Nature in the painting of Abdol Hossein Mohseni 2. Painting of Abdol Hossein Mohsenis He is working on two new books at present.

TOTAL ARTS

at the Courtyard

SECOND LIFE

January to March 2021

Second Life is an exhibition sheltering repurposed objects, artworks and installations that will be dispatched throughout the multiple indoor and outdoor spaces of The Courtyard, creating an experiential journey (itinerary) for the viewer.

Mixing art, design, story-telling and workshops, this multidisciplinary exhibition is a collaborative project involving experts from different backgrounds such as artists, designers and architects. Second life acts as a reminder to reconsider our surroundings from space to materials and act on them to serve a better purposeful function visually and conceptually.

The indoor space has been immersed through the selected showcase to define the new purpose of the in-between space since the establishment of Courtyard in 1998. The exhibition overall also presents a mission to raise awareness about preservation and sustainability while reflecting on our environmental responsibility.

Participating Artists and Designers

Azza Al Qubbaisy, Dariush Zandi, Diane Mehanna, Fereydoun Ave, Grace Yacoub, Hala Kaiksow, Hessa Al Suwaidi + Rashed Qurwash, Hind Demiathan, Michael Rice, Shahad Shehail , Shaqyeq Arabi, Yasmin Sinai

the exhibition is a colloboration between Total Arts at the Courtyard and Hamzat Wasl.

Second Life

Exhibition view

Diane Mehanna

Exhibition view

Grace Yacoub.

Michael Rice

shaqayeq Arabi

Yasmin Sinai

Shahad Shehail