The
ART Road
"Iran today is truly a unique country to live in and has many challenges. The experience of navigating these challenges is different for each artist and makes the art of each artist unique."
Iran are producing work with passion and skill. Their practices are diverse and cover many facets,” said Claudia Cellini, co-founder of The Third Line. “There is a strong artistic energy coming out of Iran that perhaps has always been so, regardless of the political climate of the country.” Hala Khayat, Head of Sales and Associate Director for Christie’s Dubai, has been working for the auction house in the region since 2007 and has witnessed “a significant increase in the interest in works by Iranian artists” during her tenure. Christie’s upcoming Modern and Contemporary Arab, Iranian and Turkish Art auction in April will feature a selection of sculptures, works on paper, paintings and photographs. Secret Garden, a seminal art piece from 2009 by Farhad Moshiri, is the highest valued work in the sale. The painting, which is one of the few works that depicts the artist in a self-portrait,
46 GC March / April 2013
Reza Derakhshani, ‘Mirror of Time’, mixed media on canvas (2009), 152cm diameter
is estimated to fetch between $300,000 and $500,000. When it comes to buyers of Iranian art, the profile has changed. “There is no ‘typical collector’,” said Khayat. Buying has become “less territorial” and “crossbuying” is helping create a stronger base for all regional art to grow, Khayat added. “Obviously, there is an interest from Iranian collectors in works from their country, but they are also increasingly interested in buying works from other countries represented in the sales.” Iranian art continues to evolve, and despite Iran’s troubled economic and political situation, the nation is a major producer of creative talent. Ramin Salsali, Founder of Salsali Private Museum in Al Quoz says: “Iran today is truly a unique country to live in and has many challenges. The experience of navigating these challenges is different for each artist and makes the art of each artist unique.”
Photo: Courtesy of the artist and SPM
Ramin Salsali, founder of Salsali Private Museum in Alserkal Avenue.