Visual Dialogues | The Book of Kings | Shirin Neshat & Fereydoun Ave | March 2019
Secret of Words
Mehran Mohajer & Sadegh Tirafkan
November 2006
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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
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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.
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Hind Bin Demaithan Al Qemzi
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Hind Bin Demaithan Al Qemzi is a multifaceted creative, renowned as a visual artist, video composer, curator, and creative consultant. She creates captivating, immersive projects to convey the rich and diverse cultural tapestry of the UAE, both on a local and global scale. Al Qemzi holds an MFA in Theater and Integrated Media with a concentration in Video for Performance at Cal Arts (California Institute of the Arts) and a bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts from Zayed University. Her interactive video composition invites audiences to reflect on the space in-between us as beings, our thoughts, the layers of earth, and beyond, through a collective of moving images that are imprinted on fabric and threads.
Hind has been collaborating with Total Arts Gallery on many projects, including:
- Video Installation, Dreamscape, Nov 2023, A looping video projection casts a montage of found images into the space. The textures and tones of the region’s land surfaces are filtered and distorted so they appear hazy, just out of grasp of comprehension. These scenes dissolve into draped fabric offering a sense of the flickering of light and shade, experienced as one moves through the forest. Hind’s habitat invites viewers to traverse and connect to the space, forging an intimate relationship with it.
- Video Installation “Ma’bain’albainain (ما بين البينين)” , March 2022
A meditative video composition that invites spectators to reflect on the space in-between us as beings, the space in-between our thoughts, the space in-between layers of earth and beyond. A collective of moving images that are imprinted on fabric and threads.
- Video Installation, “ I am she who I was or will be” January 2021
Playing with the architectural features of the space and using the mashrabiya window frame to integrate her installation and thus, create an interaction between the visitor and the space.
- Collaborative design installation, “0.0625mm in diameter - Al Hatheera, November 2019
a design experience featuring furniture design, photography, video objects, and programming throughout the week, supported and managed by Hamzat Wasl Studio - a creative community collective. The show was curated and designed by Hind Bin Demaithan (featuring herself); Jawaher Al Khayyal and Ola Allouz. The design installation will be activated by live music, spoken word poetry, private photoshoot sessions, falcon interactions, and more.
Hind is also the Founder and creative director of Hamzat Wasl Art and Design Management Studio. A member of the Dubai Creative Unit under The Executive Office Dubai. She has previously held various positions in the art and cultural scene of the UAE such as Head Curator of Dubai Design District (d3).
Her work has been displayed at leading venues in France, Korea, the UK, Slovenia, and Italy. Demaithan has represented the UAE on several occasions including Design Connections, London Design Pavilion (Venice Biennale, 2009), The Sheikha Manal Bint Mohammed Al Maktoum Art Exchange Programme, Frieze Art Fair (UK, 2009); ART Basel (Switzerland, 2008) and ART Basel Miami Beach (USA, 2009).
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