MOP CAP 2011 Finalists' Exhibition

about maGic of Persia

Magic of Persia, promotes contemporary and classical Persian culture, and provides a platform to nurture and develop Iranian cultural practitioners of the arts outside of Iran.

This is accomplished by: a. providing a platform and infrastructure for these practitioners to showcase their vision and create bridges of communication between this culture and the world at large; b. promoting cultural exchange, debate, and collaboration with like-minded international institutions such as the British Museum, Saatchi Gallery and Victoria and Albert Museum through the Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize, film promotion, educational workshops, artist talks, scholarships and arts residencies.

Magic of Persia is a privately-funded, non-political, non-religious organisation (registered as a nonprofit charity in the UK, charity reg. no. 1104066).

about maGic of Persia contemporary art prize THE VISION The Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize (MOP CAP) is a global search for the next generation of contemporary Iranian artists; the majority of whom have had very limited exposure to the international art scene. The central goal of the prize is to provide an opportunity for gifted artists to gain international exposure, and through doing this, make a notable contribution to the long-term advancement of Iranian art and culture worldwide.

The first of its kind, MOP CAP aims to identify the most talented contemporary Iranian artists in the categories of Painting, Sculpture, Photography and New Media.

THE PROCESS The prize is open to Iranian artists living and working both inside and outside of Iran; and in order to be considered, applicants must be nominated. The nomination panel is comprised of carefully selected gallerists, curators, artists, and critics who are familiar with the Iranian art scene. It is the role of these experts to nominate up to two artists that they feel merit the award.

Nominees who meet the entry criteria are required to submit images of their work, as well as a biography and artist’s statement. These are then viewed online by the MOP CAP judging panel, who select a shortlist of 25 artists.

The shortlisted artists’ works are exhibited at a space in Dubai the following March, to coincide with Art Dubai where the judging panel meet to establish 5 -10 finalists.

Once the Finalists are announced, the exhibition is opened to the public.

The works of the Finalists are subsequently exhibited in London at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in October 2011 to coincide with the Frieze Art Fair. Here, the judges reconvene to deliberate on the Prize Winner.

On the final night of the exhibition an auction of all of the finalists’ works is conducted by Christie’s with the proceeds dedicated to sustaining the Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize.

Following the auction, the Prize Winner is announced and awarded a solo-exhibition at a leading London gallery the following October.

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American football coach, Vince Lombardi, once said ‘Winning is not everything, but the will to win is everything.’ Indeed, it takes a certain amount of courage, a conquering of fears and a sincere determination to put forth one’s artwork for all to see and judge. For the artists participating in the second Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize, I commend your efforts and drive. On the flipside of that coin, the judging of others’ artwork takes on the same courage, fear and determination. There is a personal joy in paving an artist’s road to success. Equally, there is pleasure derived from interacting with artists – for example, after the Shortlist was announced, the judges spontaneously agreed to mentor some artists.

There is a weight of responsibility in knowing that what you say has a great impact on an artist’s future.

This year’s judging panel witnessed great debate, healthy deliberation and genuine zeal. As Chair of this year’s Prize, it was confirmed to me again that judging is tremendously educational – hearing the panels’ varied opinions offered new perceptions and novel ways of looking at art. Even as passions ran high, what reigned supreme were elements which focused on history, inspiration, influence, originality, heritage and censorship. For a judging panel stemming from various historical, academic and socio-political backgrounds, it was awe-inspiring to see a continued strive for artistic excellence from Iran, a country with such a long, celebrated culture.

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Among other aspects, Chairing this year’s Prize was an exercise in the art of balancing opinions, of pondering intellectual pursuits and of analysing justifications. Being able to defend and validate artistic expression is an enormously accountable task. Simply put – someone’s future is in your hands.

We are here because of a mutual passion for art and in tandem with that is a desire to share. As a reputed organisation, Magic of Persia seeks the best there is in Iranian contemporary art. It is up to the participating artists to submit their finest works; after all, as the old adage goes, “You don’t get a second chance for a first impression” and to those who weren’t shortlisted, remember, one will never win if one never begins. To the judges, kudos on healthy debate sessions. And to the winner, I salute you as a model for others to follow, as a beacon of powerful expression and as a tool for change.

Ali Khadra 2011 Ali Khadra, Chair of MOP CAP 2011 Judging Panel, is the Publisher & Editor-in-Chief of Canvas Magazine

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On the occasion of the second cycle of the Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize, we hope that the success and longevity of this award will last for years to come.

The significance of MOP CAP goes beyond recognition of a few selected artists that culminates in choosing a winner. MOP CAP creates an international forum, consisting of a number of events that bring vibrancy to global Iranian art and artists, in the Middle East and the western world.

Unlike commercial ventures, such as auctions of Middle Eastern artists in places such as Dubai and London, or recent scattered commercial gallery exhibitions, this biannual event is exclusively oriented toward the full spectrum of current Iranian art. Suffice it to say that its non-commercial nature stands as a unique international platform for Iranian Art and artists abroad.

One of the greatest assets for all involved in MOP CAP process lies in the fact that it has created an extensive community of highly talented individuals who can interact and constructively criticize each other’s works.

Regardless of being chosen as finalists, the exposure these artists gain is instrumental to their personal development as well as their understanding of the international art scene and how it functions. The credibility of the prize is undoubtedly due to the distinguished international judges and nominators.

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These groups of individuals dedicate their knowledge, and expertise to the MOP CAP selection process and have consequently propelled the prize to a position of respectability within the art world.

MOP CAP is a unique, non-profit, international, promotional apparatus for young Iranian artists. In today’s Iran, we do not witness any significant private, non-commercial initiatives benefiting the country’s art sector.

The first cycle of MOP CAP in 2009 attracted more than 100 artists of which 90% were residing in Iran.

In the second cycle of 2011, an age restriction of 40-years was introduced, to limit established artists from entering the competition.

The number of participating artists of the second cycle is 90-strong. The role of the nominators is to select candidates. This year, at the first stage, the judges selected 25 artists, and at the second stage they narrowed this down to a group of 8 artists, who were chosen as finalists.

The 8-member judging panel will again convene at the Royal College of Art in London in the Autumn of 2011, to choose the winner of MOP CAP for the 2011 prize.

Note : Selected data from MOP CAP MOP CAP 2009 Shortlisted artists: 34 Nominators: 47 Finalists: 6 Judges: 12

MOP CAP 2011 Shortlisted artists: 25 Nominators: 45 Finalists: 8 Judges: 8

Kamran Diba is an artist, architect and town planner. He was the founding director of Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, 1977. He lives and works in Gaucin, Malaga & Paris.

90% of the artists are from inside Iran, with the remaining 10% from other international locations.

Note that after MOP CAP 2009, the criteria were tightened and an age limit was applied. The second year saw us receive 90 initial applications compared with over 100 in 2009.

This process will involve Iranians living inside and outside Iran as well as foreign nationals interested or engaged in Iranian arts. The strength of the MOP CAP is its inclusiveness. The process itself is as important as the outcome in that it engages and energizes the Iranian art sector. In effect we could argue that this engagement outweighs the final outcome of actually choosing a winner. Suffice it to say that the true winner in this event will be Iranian art.

Kamran Diba 2011

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I8

nominators Mohammad Afkhami Nazgol Ansarinia Haleh Anvari Fereydoun Ave Myrna Ayad Negar Azimi Ali Bakhtiari Carlo Berardi Stuart Comer Adrian Dannatt Helia Darabi Iran Darroudi Kamran Diba Farbod Dowlatshahi Maryam Eisler Lisa Farjam Bita Fayyazi Anahita Ghabaeian Rose Issa Maneli Keykavoussi Shahnaz Khonsari Farideh Lashai William Lawrie Vali Mahlouji Maryam Massoudi Zain Masud

9I

Yasmine Mohseni Dina Nasser-Khadivi Farah Ossouli Julia Peyton-Jones Janet Rady Sunny Rahbar Neda Razavipour Hamed Sahihi Shirana Shahbazi Rozita Sharafjahan Amir Shariat Sadegh Tabrizi Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Omid Tehrani Sadegh Tirafkan Isabelle van den Eynde Leila Varasteh Sheena Wagstaff Susann Wintsch

shortlisted artists Morteza Ahmadvand Parastoo Ahovan Hojat Amani Hossein Azadi Niyaz Azadikhah Navid Azimi Sajadi Reza Azimian Behroo Bagheri Shahrzad Changalvaee Alireza Dayani Shima Esfandiyari Mehdi Farhadian Asad Faulwell Arash Fayez Babak Golkar Rodin Hamidi Ghazaleh Hedayat Babak Kazemi Ramyar Manouchehrzadeh Ali Nadjian Dana Nehdaran Dariush Nehdaran Hesam Rahmanian Shirin Sabahi Mamali Shafahi Najaf Shokri

I 10

judGes

Zaha Hadid Founding Partner, Zaha Hadid Architects Ramin and Rokni Haerizadeh Artists Shirazeh Houshiary Artist Ali Khadra, Chair of Judging Panel Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Canvas Magazine Idris Khan Artist Abaseh Mirvali President, Mirvali Projects Mohammad Mottahedan Art Patron Hans Ulrich Obrist Co-Director, Exhibitions and Programmes and Director of International Projects, Serpentine Gallery, London

Judges deliberate on finalists, Traffic, Dubai, March Images courtesy of Ali Khadra

exhibition proGramme MONDAY 10th - SATURDAY 15th OCTOBER 10:00 am - 8:00 pm MOP CAP 2011 Finalist Exhibition Open to public WEDNESDAY 12th OCTOBER 11:00 am - 1:30 pm Morning Private Preview SATURDAY 15th OCTOBER 6:00 pm – 9:15 pm Cocktail Reception and Private Preview Auction of Finalists’ works conducted by Christie’s Announcement of the Winner of MOP CAP 2011

bioGraphy NIYAZ AZADIKHAH (B.1984) Education 2010 - IUFS (International University of Fundamental Studies), Russia 2006 - Diploma of Iranian Calligraphy, Iranian Society of Calligraphy, Tehran, Iran 2005 - Animation Certificate, Jahad Daneshgahi, University of Tehran, Iran 2002 - Technical High School, Shahid Avini School of Visual Arts, Iran Selected Group Exhibitions 2011 - What Lies Beneath, Gallery IVDE, Dubai, UAE 2011 - MOP CAP 2011 Shortlist Exhibition, Traffic, Dubai, UAE 2003 - Painting Exhibition, Andishe Gallery, Tehran, Iran Professional Experience 2005 – 2010 - Assistant Director & Animation Compositing, Pahlevanan: 36 Episode Animation TV Series, Saba Cultural & Artistic Centre, Tehran, Iran 2009 - Participated in Media Wave Festival as a Director, Script Writer, Animator and Editor, “Blue 1.2.3” 2007 - Participated in Tehran Animation Biennale, Composite, “Naleye Sang” Affiliations 2006 – Present - Member of International Animated Film Association, Unesco Chapter 2006 – Present - Member of Khaneh Cinema

17 I Niyaz Azadikhah

Another Birth / 2011 / Video Animation / Edition 3 of 3 + 2 AP Niyaz Azadikhah I 18

19 I Niyaz Azadikhah

Shahid Mofateh Station / 2010 / Video Animation / Edition 3 of 3 + 2 AP

Niyaz Azadikhah I 20

40 Girls / 2011 / Video Animation / Edition 3 of 3 + 2 AP 21 I Niyaz Azadikhah

Line 1 / 2010 / Video Animation / Edition 3 of 3 + 2 AP Niyaz Azadikhah I 22

statement In my latest digital animation series, the absurdity of our ordinary city lives is depicted through repetitive snap shots of the banal. The animations set out to convey the idea of the monotony of our lives through the simple and the familiar day-to-day interactions and activities. I am fascinated by people’s behaviour going about their everyday lives. I observe them, and their stories unfold like a movie before me where everyone ends up looking the same, repeating the same actions day in and day out. These repetitions ultimately weave the pattern of our lives, giving it meaning for the exact reason of its mundane absurdity.

Faceless heads, stripped off of their facial features, the human-figures are limited to their actions and their body language as a means of communicating their condition and emotions. Hope, despair, sexual independence and fear are shown as the repetitive realities of our everyday lives. In my view, repetition of the banal gives life a meaning: absurd in essence but real in presence.

Shahid Mofateh Tired commuters are seen at Shahid1 Mofateh metro station waiting. They hear the train approaching. The long wait is over. They approach the platform. The train does not stop. It slows down enough for the people waiting to see that there is no room and they cannot get on. The train speeds up and leaves the station. People go back to their benches, waiting for the next train.

1) Martyr

23 I Niyaz Azadikhah

In this snap shot of our daily lives, I’m striving to display the insignificance of our existence. We are like mechanical dolls. We wait. We are hopeful. We get hopeless. And we go back to waiting again. This tedious humdrum of life echoes in all levels of society in one form or another. It is the same for everyone. We are like cloned puppets with short–lived hopes, playing out our roles in this mundane game of life, which repeats itself and loops day in and day out.

Line 1 Another banal snap shot of our everyday lives is seen in the women’s section of line 1 metro. Whether they are seated with a prayer book or worry beads in hand, or holding their purses to their bosoms, they are all closely watching and reacting to the main attraction in the centre of their cabin; a vendor comfortably seated on the floor, her whopping huge sack, overflowing with colourful men’s and women’s undergarments spread open in front of her. She is singing a song about her next sales item, a red bra, which she pulls out of her overstuffed sack of goodies. As she holds up the bra to herself, the up and down arm movements and turned faces of some passengers show their disapproval of this spectacle of undergarments in public which they may view as profane, even though they are all her devoted customers.

Another Birth The end of a love affair and its renewal through masturbation gives the relationship between a man and a woman a radical meaning. Sex becomes another repetitive act between a man and woman who have turned into mechanical beings, performing their expected sexual roles for the sole purpose of fulfilling a duty. The mechanical repetition of the act of sex becomes another monotonous and unimportant motion in their daily lives. The thick black line serves a dual purpose; it deletes sex as both a shameful act, which must not be seen or talked about, and as an insignificant, robotic motion that is too trivial to care about. In the third episode of this series, sex is eventually replaced by the visible act of masturbation as the woman’s means to salvaging a depleted relationship. Masturbation is her salvation through which she not only proclaims her independence, but one that paradoxically enables her to stay with her mate.

Life is perhaps, A long street through which a woman holding a basket passes every day, Life is perhaps, A child returning home from school, Life is perhaps, Lighting up a cigarette in the narcotic repose between two love-makings, Or the absent gaze of a passerby, Who takes off his hat to another passerby with a meaningless smile and a ‘good morning’,

No fisherman shall ever find a pearl in a small brook, Which empties into a pool, I know a sad little fairy, Who lives in an ocean, And ever so softly, Plays her heart into a magic flute, A sad little fairy, Who dies with one kiss each night, And is reborn with one kiss each dawn.

Excerpt from Another Birth by Forough Farrokhzad 40 Girls (Maidens) This is a story of fear. Fear of being watched, talked about and exposed in a society where everyone is watching everyone else. We live in a state of constant fear of each other’s watching eyes, and as a result, end up suppressing our innermost desires and yearnings. We fence off our lives (barbed wire) to protect our privacy, to guard off the eyes of society (binoculars), which are standing watch.

But fear lurks around and casts a shadow over our lives.

An ominous black crow appears, stirring fear, flying overhead past the barbed wire. Witnessing the soldiers in the intimacy of their post, he squawks heralding the bad news, after which a murder of crows follows.

The title 40 Girls, which is the name of a soldiers’ garrison in eastern Iran is based on a folktale about 40 girls who mysteriously disappeared one day and their bodies were recovered after some time. The name is also used for miscellaneous areas, bridges and citadels around Iran.

Niyaz Azadikhah I 24

bioGraphy SHAHRZAD CHANGALVAEE (B.1983) Education 2006 - BA Graphic Design, Faculty of Fine Arts, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran Thesis: The connection between letters and definition, reviewing the contemporary typography Group Exhibitions 2011 - How I Learned to Stop Fearing and Love the Exotic Art, Jamm Art Foundation, Kuwait 2010 - Golden Bee, Moscow International Biennial of Graphic Design, Moscow, Russia 2010 - Sixth International Triennial of Stage Poster, Sofia, Bulgaria 2009 - Golden Bee, Moscow International Biennial of Graphic Design, Moscow, Russia 2009 - Trnava Poster Triennial, Trnava, Slovakia 2008 - Gen X, Group Poster Exhibition, Toronto, Canada 2008 - The Seattle – Tehran Poster Show, Seattle, Washington, USA 2008 - Conference of the Birds, Exhibition of Iranian Contemporary Artists, London, UK 2007 - Rokhsat, Group Poster Exhibition, Tehran / Shiraz / Mashhad, Iran

27 I Shahrzad Changalvaee

Bibliography 2011 - ‘Arabesque 2: Graphic Design from the Arab World and Persia’, Gestalten, Germany 2009 - ‘Arabesque: Graphic Design from the Arab World and Persia’, Gestalten, Germany Membership 2006 - Present – Member of Dabireh Collective, studying Persian Type and Typography Awards 2009 - Nominated and shortlisted for MOP CAP 2009, London, UK

I # 1 / 2010 / Lambda print on metallic paper, mounted between acrylic glass and aluminium / 95 x 145 cm / Edition 2 of 5 + 1 AP Shahrzad Changalvaee I 28

I # 2 / 2010 / Lambda print on metallic paper, mounted beween acrylic glass and aluminium / 95 x 145 cm / Edition 2 of 5 + 1 AP 29 I Shahrzad Changalvaee

Motherland # 4 / 2010 / Lambda print on metallic paper, mounted beween acrylic glass and aluminium / 95 x 145 cm / Edition 2 of 5 + 1 AP Shahrzad Changalvaee I 30

Motherland # 1 / 2010 / Lambda print on metallic paper, mounted beween acrylic glass and aluminium / 95 x 145 cm / Edition 2 of 5 + 1 AP 31 I Shahrzad Changalvaee

Body # 1 / 2010 / Lambda print on metallic paper, mounted beween acrylic glass and aluminium / 95 x 145 cm / Edition 2 of 5 + 1 AP Shahrzad Changalvaee I 32

Body Composition Remaining Within Limited Domain / 2011 / Digital video/audio installation HD digital video transferred to DVD / 8 minutes / Edition 1 of 3 33 I Shahrzad Changalvaee

Shahrzad Changalvaee I 34

statement Body Composition Remaining within Limited Domain I had the three words, I (ôî), Body (ô‘) and Motherland (ôÈö) made from Plexiglas. I am sensitive about words.

I get hooked on them, especially when they find some form of physical embodiment and can be seen as such. I get more tangled with them. I can’t get away. Incarnated words are not just words; they are language shapes, fragments of thought appearing as acting agents in their material form. They both demonstrate and can be seen; act as the subject and the object. The words are here at this moment, not somewhere in our minds and no longer commanding us. They don’t argue for anything.

They enter the game with us and become part of the performance.

I carry the three words and take them downtown, to Lalehzaar Avenue. I buy LED lights and install them inside of the words and hook them up to a rechargeable motorcycle battery, so I can take my illuminated words into town, on the streets.

The sunset moments are perfect for photography. The light is neither too little nor too much, it is just right. The illuminated words shine in the twilight of the dusky sky and the city lights, they light up people’s faces. In the moments when everything retreats to the shade and the shapes of things are distorted, the lit up words define and spotlight people. The stage is set for the show.

35 I Shahrzad Changalvaee

Who wants to take a picture with I / Body / Motherland?

It’s springtime. In the afternoon the kids come out to the alleys to play games. I bring my words into the alley.

“Kids, wanna take a picture?”, “With these?” They ask. Girls begin to whisper and finally take a hesitant step forward.

One of them picks up I. Asks, what do you mean, I? They are giggling. When I place the camera on the tripod, the giggles are gone. The boys are watching and can’t stop trash-talking.

Samira is a law student. She’s come home to Iran to visit her husband during her school break. Says, “The I”. Some neighbourhood in the West of Tehran, we stand in the middle section of a boulevard. A street vendor is selling used men’s suits nearby. We are getting ready to take the shot, when some city officers show up and confiscate the man’s wares. Samira says, “Jerks!” When she turns around to the camera, I press the shutter.

Sometimes I feel like I am a collage, a patchwork. My voice sounds like a stranger. Every part of me is from some place. Everything I do and every part of my body language, like a quilt whose every piece was taken from people in my life. I think there is nothing unique about me. It stresses me out, makes me nervous. I want someone else to describe me and almost always when someone does, I am baffled.

Summer has arrived. We are in an old neighbourhood.

They all seem to know each other. We, the strangers, have piqued their curiosity. It takes the old guy about ten minutes to get to us from further up the street. He stops and looks us up and down. “Would you take a picture sir?” He is hard-of-hearing. Tilts his head and picks Motherland, stands under a street lamp. I gently put Motherland in his arms. His hands are shaking.

Motherland is heavy. The poor guy is getting tired, keeps shifting his weight, but doesn’t say a word until we are finished.

Sometimes I want to lie on the ground, and go down. I want to rub my body on the dirt. I miss something that is like my mother’s body but it is not that.

We are going to the Caspian coast. It’s Autumn. A little shrine on top of a hill can be spotted. We steer that way.

When we get up there, two women are stepping out. I say to them, “would you like to take a picture, ma’am?” One of them asks me, “This is psychology stuff, right?” She picks up I. It’s getting dark. We use the car’s headlights to get more lighting. The older lady has her hands still covered under her chador, and is holding I from under the fabric, doesn’t look at the camera at all. Wind is blowing and the chadors are flapping. I can’t figure if they are sisters or a mother and daughter. The guy accompanying them is getting restless, wanting to leave.

It’s been two days that we have been asking around and no one has wanted to stand in front of my camera.

Mohammad-Reza is shy. He is a photographer. We are in front of the produce market. Everyone is staring at us.

The vendors at a fruits stand are singing. I give him Body.

He is blushing and is feeling uncomfortable. He’s not used to being the subject of a photo.

It’s windy. I’m holding the camera with one hand and I with the other. I want to give it to a boy who picked it for a photo. My headscarf keeps sliding down, keeps sliding down.

It is a little before spring. We are downtown. Everybody is peeking to take a look to see what is going on. A couple of people see Motherland and withdraw; they say it will cause trouble. Shopkeepers are watching, standing in front of their stores. They are chatting about Motherland.

The last of the day’s light is slipping away. A young man is withdrawing money from an ATM. I ask him if he would take a picture. Nods in agreement. Choose one. Picks Motherland without saying a word, he comes up and stands on the street corner with his back to the building with flags on top. It’s windy. Flags are flapping in the background.

Shahrzad Changalvaee I 36

bioGraphy MEHDI FARHADIAN (B.1980) Education 2008 - MA Painting, Faculty of Fine Arts Tehran University, Tehran, Iran Solo Exhibitions 2011 - BAHARESTAN, Mah Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran 2009 - Untitled, Mah Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran Group Exhibitions 2011 - MOP CAP 2011 Shortlist Exhibition Traffic, Dubai, UAE 2011 - Art Dubai, Dubai, UAE 2010 - Landscape, Aaran Gallery, Tehran, Iran 2010 - To Paint Cinema, Mohsen Gallery, Tehran, Iran 2009 - In the Mood for Paper, F2 Gallery, Beijing, China 2009 - Iran Inside Out, Chelsea Museum, New York, NY, USA 2009 - Iran on Paper The Last 10 Years, Aaran Gallery, Tehran, Iran 2009 - Iran /Painting/Now, Silk Road Gallery, Tehran, Iran 2009 - Iran Without Borders, Galerie Almine Rech, Paris, France 2009 - Movers & Shakers In Contemporary Iranian Art, LTMH Gallery, New York, NY, U.S.A 2008 - 50 Artists, Mah Art Gallery Tehran, Iran 2008 - Creek Art Fair, Dubai, UAE 2008 - An Impressive Representation by 50 Artists, Mah Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran

39 I Mehdi Farhadian

2007 - Radical Drawing 1, Tarahan Azad Gallery, Tehran, Iran 2007 - Radical Drawing 2, Tehran Gallery, Tehran, Iran 2007 - Four Young Artists, Mah Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran 2007 - An Impressive Representation by 50 Artists, Mah Gallery, Tehran, Iran 2007 - Song of Bulbuls (Nightingales) of Oil Rich Regions, Museum of Contemporary Art, Isfahan, Iran 2005 - Selected Contemporary Iranian Realism & Hyper Realism Art Exhibition, Niavaran Cultural Centre, Tehran, Iran Auctions 2009 - Sotheby’s, London, UK 2009 - Christie’s, Dubai, UAE

The Last Leopard / 2011 / Acrylic on canvas / 130 x 180 cm Mehdi Farhadian I 40

statement If your day starts with news of aggression and incursion, you have no choice but to get used to things. It’s one thing to hear the news of decadence and extinction, and another to live through them, to experience them.

We forget ourselves in the short moments that we have gotten used to. Our life is an experience of getting used to what goes on around us, an experience of dreaming.

What is done is done! The death of ‘The Last Leopard’ happens gradually, as if a dream, growing deeper and deeper. ‘The Last Leopard’ doesn’t simply die, he is martyred. I’ve gotten used to what happens to me. I’ve gotten used to those who invade my mind, my life, and my death; and I am passing through these joyfully.

41 I Mehdi Farhadian

Plague / 2011 / Acrylic on canvas / 200 x 250 cm

Photo by: Sasan Abri

bioGraphy ARASH FAYEZ (B.1984) Education Present - MFA Fine Arts, [Photography concentration], California College of the Arts (CCA), San Francisco, California, USA 2010 - BA Architecture, Sooreh University, Tehran, Iran Solo Exhibition 2011 - Ramblings of a Flâneur, Silk Road Gallery, Tehran, Iran Selected Group Exhibitions 2011 - My Super Hero, Aaran Gallery & Morono Kiang Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA 2011 - Postcards From Tehran, Curated by Nazila Noebashari, 18th Street Arts Center, Santa Monica, California, USA 2010 - Sanctioned Array, Video “Untitled #209”, White Box, New York, NY, USA 2010 - Handheld History, Curated by Tamar Ettun & Katayoun Vaziri, Video “Allah’o Akbar”, Queens Museum, New York, NY, USA 2010 - Recent Self-Portrait, Silk Road Gallery, Tehran, Iran 2010 - Tehran; Virtual & Real?, Aaran Gallery, Tehran, Iran

45 I Arash Fayez

Curatorial Experience 2011 - New Folder 02, Photo Exhibition, Silk Road Gallery, Tehran, Iran 2011 - Iranian Photography, slideshow, Tbilisi Photo Festival, Tbilisi, Georgia 2010 - New Folder 01, Photo Exhibition, Silk Road Gallery, Tehran, Iran 2009 - Baaz in che shooresh ast, Silk Road Gallery, Tehran, Iran 2009 - Appropriation Allowed, Photo Exhibition, Aaran Gallery, Tehran, Iran Collection The Museum of Fine Arts (MFAH), Houston, Texas, USA Fairs/Auctions 2011 - Paris Photo 2011, Grand Palais, Paris, France 2010 - Paris Photo 2010, Carrousel du Louvre, Paris, France 2010 - Art Dubai, The Contemporary Art Fair of Dubai, Dubai, UAE Competitions 2011 - MOP CAP 2011 Shortlist Exhibition, Traffic, Dubai, UAE 2008 - Image of the Year, [Awarded by the jury], Video (Slideshow) “The Wall”, Iranian Artist Forum, Tehran, Iran 2007 - Photoquai, First Biennale of World Images, Musée du quai Branly de Paris, Paris, France

Bibliography 2009 – ‘Different Sames: New Perspectives in Contemporary Iranian Art’, Thames & Hudson Ltd. Publications 2011 (June) – ‘What is real, what is fake, an interview by Mojtaba Ghadamshah’, Shargh Newspaper Tehran, Iran 2010 – ‘Die junge Kunstszene im Gottesstaat Iran’, Weinheimer Nachrichten Zeitung Residency (Artist-in-Residence) Three month residency, Nes Artist Residency, Skagaströnd, Iceland. [not participated]

Ramblings of a Flâneur / 2011 / 10.7 x 8.8 cm (23.5 x 23.5 cm framed) / Digital photography, pigmented inkjet on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta Paper, 315 gsm / Edition 5 of 5 + 1 AP Arash Fayez I 46

Ramblings of a Fl창neur / 2011 / 10.7 x 8.8 cm (23.5 x 23.5 cm framed) / Digital photography, pigmented inkjet on Hahnem체hle Photo Rag Baryta Paper, 315 gsm / Edition 5 of 5 + 1 AP Arash Fayez I 48

Ramblings of a Fl창neur / 2011 / 10.7 x 8.8 cm (23.5 x 23.5 cm framed) / Digital photography, pigmented inkjet on Hahnem체hle Photo Rag Baryta Paper, 315 gsm / Edition 5 of 5 + 1 AP 49 I Arash Fayez

Ramblings of a Fl창neur / 2011 / 10.7 x 8.8 cm (23.5 x 23.5 cm framed) / Digital photography, pigmented inkjet on Hahnem체hle Photo Rag Baryta Paper, 315 gsm / Edition 5 of 5 + 1 AP Arash Fayez I 50

statement Ramblings of a Flâneur For some time now I have been roaming around the city without having either an objective or a map.

What’s interesting is that I was born here, but I feel like a traveller on its streets, disoriented and curious. The visual behaviour of the city takes me by surprise. It is always in the process of changing, like a shape-shifter; you wake up one day and the main thoroughfare, which has always been a two-way street, turns into a one-way corridor. The Enghelab Square, which was once a symbol of the Revolution, is adorned with colourful flowers.

Ramblings of a Flâneur1 is dedicated to the works of two photographers: Walker Evans, who was the master of the ordinary, and Mehran Mohajer, who recorded Tehran datelessly, as he did with photography.

Translated by Sohrab Mahdavi 1) I had come across the word Flâneur in a collection of Mehran Mohajerp; a word that Charles Baudelaire, Walter Benjamin and then many others used to propound their theories.

In these ramblings with a camera, I took pictures of anything that left an impression on me; scattered sets of images of a megalopolis, from each section that I visited, of things that I liked or didn’t like, similar to pictures taken by a traveller on a year-long journey, of a place that is foreign to him, as this city is to me. Despite all the memories that different parts of this city invoke, these Polaroid photographs, be they real or fake, form a picture of an endearing and jumbled city, which I am putting before your eyes here.

51 I Arash Fayez

Ramblings of a Flâneur / 2011 / 10.7 x 8.8 cm (23.5 x 23.5 cm framed) / Digital photography, pigmented inkjet on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta Paper, 315 gsm / Edition 5 of 5 + 1 AP

bioGraphy BABAK GOLKAR (B.1977) Education 2006 - MFA, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada 2003 - BFA, Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, Vancouver, Canada 1999 - Graphic Design, Shoreline College, Washington, USA Selected Solo Exhibitions 2012 - T.B.D, Curated by Greg Bellerby, Charles H. Scott Gallery, Vancouver, Canada 2012 - T.B.D, Blanket Gallery, Vancouver, Canada 2012 - T.B.D, Curated by Sabine Jaroschka, Hilger Contemporary, Vienna, Austria 2011 - Parergon, Curated by Steven Tong, C.S.A. Space, Vancouver, Canada 2011 - Framin Architecture, Curated by Sunny Rahbar, Third Line Gallery, Dubai, UAE 2011 - T.B.D, Special project for Contemporary Istanbul, Curated by Stephane Ackermann, Istanbul, Turkey 2011 - Art Beat, Featured project by Sanatorium and the Third Line Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey 2011 - Black Cube: Moving Toward the Abstract Light, Curated by G端her Gurmen Sanatorium, Istanbul, Turkey

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Selected Group Exhibition 2011 - Jameel Exhibitions, Curated by Salma Tuqan, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK (Touring Exhibition of Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North America) 2011 - Expositions, Curated by Natalia Tkachev, Blanket Gallery, Vancouver, Canada 2011 - Tension, Curated by Yael Katz Ben Shalom, Hezy Cohen Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel 2011 - Art Dubai, Third Line Gallery, Dubai, UAE 2011 - Art Beat, Istanbul Art Fair, Istanbul, Turkey 2011 - Istanbul Contemporary Art Fair, Hilger Contemporary, Istanbul, Turkey 2010 - Time After Time, Curated by Valerie Imus and Taraneh Hemami Southern Exposure, Los Angeles, California, USA 2010 - The Promise of Loss, A Contemporary Index of Iran, Curated by Shaheen Merali, Arario Gallery, New York, NY, USA 2010 - Frieze Art Fair, The Third Line Gallery, London, UK 2010 - Artissima, The Third Line Gallery, Turin, Italy 2009 - The Promise of Loss, A Contemporary Index of Iran, Curated by Shaheen Merali, Galerie Hilger BrotKunsthalle, Vienna, Austria 2009 - Art Basel Miami, Hilger Contemporary, Vienna, Austria 2009 - Infinite Egress, Curated by Jordan Strom, Surrey Art Gallery, Surrey, Canada

2009 - Nuit Blanche, Curated by Makiko Hara, Toronto, Canada (Public) 2009 - Folter in der Kultur: Kultur der Folter, Curated by Yael Katz Ben Shalom, Artneuland Project, Berlin, Germany 2008 - My Favourite Pastime, Curated by Kathrin Becker in collaboration with Silvia Anna Barirlà and Hanna Jacobi, WL-Project, Hong Kong 2008 - Prequel, Curated by Wesley Cameron and Matt Robertson: Until We Have A Helicopter, Gallery Atsui, Vancouver, Canada 2008 - Moodyville, Curated by Helga Pakassar, Presentation House Gallery, North Vancouver, Canada 2008 - Orientalism and Ephemera, Curated by Jamelie Hassan, Centre A Gallery, Vancouver, Canada / Kenderdine Art Gallery, University of Saskatchewan, SK 2008 - Interior of Design, Curated by Jordan Strom, Republic Gallery, Vancouver, Canada Bibliography 2011- ‘Jameel Prize 2011 Shortlist Develops Art from Craftwork’ by Christopher Lord, The National, UAE 2011 - ‘Architectural Psychology’ by Dina Ibrahim, ArteEast 2011 - ‘Golkar’s installation takes visitors back to their childhood’ by Rumeysa Kiger, Today’s Zaman, Istanbul, Turkey 2011 - ‘“Black Cube” moves, freedom vanishes’

by Hatice Utkan, Hurriyet, Istanbul, Turkey

2011 - ‘Siyah küpün içinde ne var?’ (What’s Inside the Black Cube?) by Pırıl Güleşçi Arıkonmaz, Haber Turk, Istanbul, Turkey 2010 - Interview conducted by Sasha M. Lee, Daily Serving 2010 - Interview conducted by Behnam Nateghi, Voice of America 2009 - ‘An Extended Dérive in a Terrain Passional’, Capilano Review, Essay by Annette Hurtig Awards 2011 - Nominated and shortlisted for The Victoria and Albert Museum’s Jameel Prize, London, UK 2011 - Nominated and shortlisted for the Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize, RCA, London, UK 2010 - Canada Council for the Arts Production Grant, Ottawa, Canada 2010 - British Columbia Arts Council Production Grant, Victoria, Canada 2009 - British Columbia Arts Council Production Grant, Victoria, Canada 2006 - VADA Award, Vancouver, Canada 2004 - B.C. Binning Drawing Scholarship, Vancouver, Canada 2003 - Helen Pitt Award, Vancouver, Canada

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Blue Gold (from the “Impositions� series) / 2011 / 186 x 122 cm / Persian carpet (silk and wool) and Ultramarine Blue acrylic paint

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statement Being born in the U.S., raised in Iran and having lived between Canada and the Middle East for the past 14 years, I have developed a sense of urgency to work out ways to negotiate different spaces in order to create meaning and make sense of things. In the recent years, with the global developments and interests towards the Middle East, both in terms of the market economy and cultural economy, certain negotiations have taken place, which deserve to be examined as subjects of cultural production. I have become interested in Modern traditions of architecture, developed and theorised in the West, as well as, what I have inherited from the Middle Eastern culture, with its rich histories and traditions. With a critical approach, I have been working on juxtaposing very specific Modernist traditions, be they strategies such as minimalist or reductivist or philosophical and ideological frameworks, against the very specific traditions of the Middle East, such as the old age patterns of nomadic carpet and their development based on their particular cultural and economical structures. I believe there is a space, where cultural negotiations can take place and new forms and meanings can be emerged.

On the Imposition Series: One of the early proposals of Modern architecture was to rid any space of ornamentation and replace it with single colour paint, mostly white. This was especially evident in the spaces inherited from the Art Nouveau era.

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Originally, the Viennese architect Adolf Loose, proposed this idea in his essay “Ornament and Crime” in which he equated the two notions. While this idea was faced with mixed reviews, it eventually became normalised and even celebrated later on.

Historically, Persian carpets have been gazed at as manifestations of ornaments. This imposing view results in the carpet, as a cultural object, to fall into a category of decoration and thus lose value as a component of a critical cultural dialogue. What is significant is that carpets have always been associated closely with architecture, both in terms of their everyday function (as an interior piece) as well as their metaphorical function (representing “Behesht”: loosely translated as the Garden of Eden).

In an attempt to turn them into a monochrome, I decided to modify the ornate Persian carpets by painting over them, sometimes with parts masked out to expose the patterns. These modifications shifted the function and the context of the traditional object from a utilitarian domestic “thing” to canvas-like surfaces that are manipulated and treated by paint to resemble highModernist paintings. Through gestures of defacement and destruction I intend to provide an opportunity for dialogue between Modernist traditions and one of the Middle East’s most celebrated, yet under-examined, objects.

Blue Gold (detail)

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bioGraphy DARIUSH NEHDARAN (B. 1984) Education 2007 - BA Painting, Elm & Farhang University (Science & Culture), Tehran, Iran Solo Exhibitions 2007 - Contemporary Portrait, Khak Gallery, Tehran, Iran 2008 - Urban Rivers, Iran Art Organisation, Tehran, Iran Group Exhibitions 2011 - First Tehran Painting Market, Barg Gallery, Tehran, Iran 2010 - Magic of Persia Charity Art Exhibition & Auction Gala, Abu Dhabi, UAE 2010 - Encyclopaedia Iranica Charity Art Exhibition, New York, NY, USA 2010 - Seven…?!, Day Gallery, Tehran, Iran 2010 - Untitled, Neel Gallery, Tehran, Iran 2007 - Eternal Papers, Contemporary Arts Museum, Isfahan, Iran 2007 - Photography Expo, Esteqlal Hotel, Tehran, Iran 2005 - Untitled, Bahman Cultural Centre, Tehran, Iran Professional Experience 2007 – Present - Graphic Designer, Ofoq–e–Bina Magazine, Tehran, Iran 2010 - Photographer of scene photos for the film “Memory” by Nader Tarighat

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Membership Official Member of ‘Iranian Photographer’s Society’ Competitions 2011 - Selected for 8th Image of the Year Festival, Innovation Division, Iran Art Organisation, Tehran, Iran 2011- Selected for 8th Image of the Year Festival, Short Film Category for “Dances with the Armchair” and “Roosta” Iran Art Organisation, Tehran, Iran 2011 - Selected for Noor Festival, Iran Art Organisation, Tehran, Iran 2010 - Selected for 1st Hamghadam Festival, Short Film Category for “Dances with the Ants”, Sorbonne University, France 2010 - Selected for 7th Image of the Year Festival, Innovation Division, Iran Art Organisation, Tehran, Iran 2009 - Selected for International Photo Exhibition and Competition: Iran The Land of Monotheistic Religions, Imam Ali Museum Of Arts, Tehran, Iran 2008 - Selected for 6th Image of the Year Festival, Innovation Division, Iran Art Organisation, Tehran, Iran 2008 - Selected for Human & Traffic Festival, Iran Art Organisation, Tehran, Iran 2008 - Selected for Art’s Month Photography Festival, Mah–e–Mehr Gallery, Tehran, Iran 2008 - Selected for 2nd Damoon Far Visual Art Festival, Niavaran Cultural Center, Tehran, Iran

2007 - Selected for Iranian Student’s International Photography and Film Festival, Tehran, Iran 2006 - Selected for 10th Iranian Photo Biennial, Innovative Photographer Category, Saba Cultural Centre, Tehran, Iran 2004 - Selected for 1st Digital Photography Competition, Niavaran Palace, Tehran, Iran

Awards 2010 - Winner of the first prize in the 1st Hamghadam Photo Festival, Environment Category, Sorbonne University, France 2010 - First candidate of 7th Image of the Year Festival, Short Film Category for “Dances with the Ants”, Iran Art Organisation, Tehran, Iran

Dances with the Armchair / Tehran 2010 / Bluray / 3 minutes 52 seconds / Edition 1 of 5 Dariush Nehdaran I 64

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Self Portrait / Tehran 2006 / Bluray / 3 minutes 8 seconds / Edition 1 of 5

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The Life of the Shadows / 2009 / Digital photography / 70 x 105 cm / Edition 2 of 5 67 I Dariush Nehdaran

The Life of the Shadows / 2011 / Digital photography / 70 x 105 cm / Edition 1 of 5 Dariush Nehdaran I 68

The Life of the Shadows / 2010 / Digital photography / 70 x 105 cm / Edition 1 of 5 69 I Dariush Nehdaran

The Life of the Shadows / 2011 / Digital photography / 70 x 105 cm / Edition 1 of 5 Dariush Nehdaran I 70

statement While processing photographs in a university laboratory during 2002, I found myself drawn to the shadows which gradually and repeatedly became visible while the final picture was taking shape. These shadows of the subject which passed through the camera lens were cast on the photographic film’s sensitive surface; and the photograph which we eventually see is a result of many shadows having passed through a series of different filters. It is the fact that usually we perceive images presented to us as reality that highlighted for me the importance of the relationship between ‘representation’ and ‘reality’.

In 2007, I had an exhibition entitled ‘Contemporary Portrait’ which included the photograph ‘Untitled’ as well as the video ‘Self-Portrait’. In this work, emphasis was put on moving from the inner dead cells to the colour layers of the outer skin of a living being.

In a 2008 exhibition entitled ‘Urban Rivers’, I showed images of the reflections of the environment and surrounding nature (with more emphasis on trees) on to cars. It was as though the trees saw themselves in the flowing river of the cars. This exhibition took place at Nami Art Gallery and included a comprehensive exhibition catalogue; summing up the works;

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“In nature, trees see themselves in the mirror-like water of the ponds, rivers and swamps, while in cities, they see themselves in the flowing river of cars. These ‘Urban Rivers’ which reflect a morphosised image in their gigantic and noisy turns and twists, sometimes stop, to eternalize a moment of nature.”

(Urban Rivers Exhibition Catalogue, Nami Art Gallery in Iran Art Organisation, 2008)

Following this use of car bodies in my work, I chose to use a car as my canvas in 2009; experiencing a state of ‘ephemeral art’, where I recorded the process of producing the artwork and subsequently destroying it.

The result of this was presented in a video entitled ‘The Car’.

In 2010, I used ants and a lizard as painting materials; shown in a video entitled ‘Dances with the Ants’. For this work, the insects and reptiles moved from the palette on to the blank surface of the paper, resulting in lines and shapes being created, without the interference of human hands. While creating the video, the decomposing of the lizard by the ants created a rhythmic, dance-like movement of the body parts of the lizard.

The video ‘Dances with the Armchair’ was created in 2011, where the same subject (rhythmic movements) was created using other materials, such as an armchair in the place of a lizard and fire as opposed to ants. During the filming process, I particularly noticed the figures which were shaped out in the fire. They may have been reminiscent of the ones who had lived with the chair for years.

My main focus, however, remains ‘The Life of the Shadows’ series. In this work, the shadows are singledimensional as opposed to the multi-dimensionality of the humans. The shadows merely show what they are. By flipping and rotating the images, real life is replaced with the life and meanings of the shadows; and despite reality being distorted, the shadows are distinguishable. The shadows show themselves more precisely, compared with the reality of the image. This can be seen when one goes somewhere for the first time and describes the experience as ‘looking at a postcard’. This is because one views that place through a camera lens on a postcard or on TV, where the image has been taken from the reality and not any other source.

The Life of the Shadows / 2009 / Digital photography / 70 x 105 cm / Edition 1 of 5 Dariush Nehdaran I 72

bioGraphy HESAM RAHMANIAN (B.1980) Education 2009 - BSc, Graphic Design, Sacramento State University, Sacramento, California, USA 2005 - AA Applied Art and Design, Sierra College, California, USA 1999 - Diploma in Fine Art, School of Visual Arts, Tehran, Iran Solo Exhibitions 2011 - Till the End of Dawn, Paradise Row, London, UK 2010 - Hit Me With Your War Tune, Traffic, Dubai, UAE 2009 - Iran’s Social Disorder, Art Ten20, Sacramento, California, USA 1999 - Barg Gallery, Tehran, Iran Group Exhibitions 2011 - MOP CAP 2011 Finalist Exhibition, Royal College of Art, London, UK 2011 - How Lucky We Are, Angel at Our Table, God in Our Car, Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna, Austria 2011 - Taking Sides, Paddle 8, New York, NY, USA 2011- The State: Social / Antisocial?, Traffic and The Thirdline, Dubai, UAE 2011 - Art Dubai, Dubai, UAE 2011 - MOP CAP 2011 Shortlist Exhibition, Traffic, Dubai, UAE 2011 - The State: Uppers & Downers, Traffic, Dubai, UAE

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2010 - Fuck Ups, Fables and Fiascos, Galerie Caprice Horn, Berlin, Germany 2009 -Annual Senior Spring Show, Sacramento State University, Sacramento, California, USA 2007 - East Meets West, Artwork SF, San Francisco, California, USA 2003 - Digital Art Show, Ridley Gallery, Sacramento, California, USA 2002 - Digital Art Show, Ridley Gallery, Sacramento, California, USA Awards 2009 - Recipient of the AIGA Enrichment Scholarship, California, USA 2009 - Best Portfolio, Department of Design, Sacramento State University, Sacramento, California, USA 2008 - Recipient of the Fred G. Wade Scholarship from Sacramento AD Club, Sacramento, California, USA Publication 2009 – Works included in Taschen’s publication ‘Design for Obama: Posters For Change’

Ahmadinejad (Green) / 2011 / Dice in a wooden frame / 135 x 115 cm Hesam Rahmanian I 76

Solitaire (deck of playing cards) / 2009 / Print on paper in a wooden box / 7 x 13 x 17 cm / Edition of 50 77 I Hesam Rahmanian

Solitaire (deck of playing cards) / 2009 / Print on paper in a wooden box / 7 x 13 x 17 cm / Edition of 50 Hesam Rahmanian I 78

Schizophrenic Time Machine / 2011 / Treadmill and dice on wooden boards / 175 x 170 x 80 cm 79 I Hesam Rahmanian

Schizophrenic Time Machine / 2011 / Treadmill and dice on wooden boards / 175 x 170 x 80 cm Hesam Rahmanian I 80

statement Playing Cards & Dice Solitaire is a set of playing cards illustrated with key figures of the Iranian regime since the 2009 presidential elections. In this re-imagining of a deck of cards, the kings become the most powerful figures in the Islamic republic - Ayatollah Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Iranian Republic, is the King of Spades, while Mahmoud Ahmadinejad becomes the King of Clubs. Similar to a traditional deck, each character is ornamented with symbols associated with them. Ahmadinejad holds a balloon with the nuclear logo and sports his apparent ‘halo’. With women almost entirely anonymous in Iranian politics, the ‘Queens’ become housewives draped in a black chador and surrounded by domestic accessories: a spatula, a feather-duster. ‘Jacks’ are portrayed as the people of Iran, who come from different layers of the community, a religious rabbi or a rock star. Researching the history of cards – often representing monarchies of different nations – the deck becomes a good medium to represent politics as a whole in the world. The person who plays solitaire, plays alone. They can only arrange the hierarchies and never change them. If they make one false movement, they will never finish the game: a poignant reflection of the individual trying to alter or affect contemporary Iranian politics.

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The dice project is another illustration of gaming and gambling, in which each dice represents a risk with chances of wining or loosing. For instance, almost 5000 dice were put together to create an image of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has been jeopardizing the country of Iran and it’s people since his inauguration in 2005. Going back in time, the King in one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, Mahabharata, wins and gains his wealth and kingdom by playing the dice game. Today, such epics play a similar role in Iranian contemporary politics. This can be seen in the sanctions imposed on the country by the President in order to enrich uranium for ‘peaceful purposes’. The country has gone through hardship via international communities in order to stop the enrichment, as they believe Iran is aiming for nuclear weapon. Dice have become a good medium to represent any dictatorship, any country on the edge of disintegration, and/or a conceptual statement to any social and political suppression.

Solitaire (deck of playing cards) / 2009 / Print on paper in a wooden box / 7 x 13 x 17 cm / Edition of 50 Hesam Rahmanian I 82

The Schizophrenic Time Machine The Schizophrenic Time Machine is about being unable to progress: the sort of dead-end situations where effort becomes meaningless.

The machine is a treadmill belt running in a closed circle.

People can walk on it, even though it will not take them anywhere. Those who choose to walk on this belt will follow the same path, the same speed.

The only reason for running on a closed belt machine such as this would be to sweat.

This work attempts to represent a space of miscommunication between people and a ruler. It is shown to be a relationship that – as time passes by - is going nowhere.

I have covered the treadmill in a wooden surface, with dices glued all over it. Dice are an important part of my practice and reflect my interest in games, ideas of gambling; more broadly, randomness. In another work, I used thousands of dice to create portraits of Iran’s leaders. The work was created to reflect on the political game taking place in my country.

However, in this project, by placing dice so close together in a preplanned arrangement, an order is created in the pattern.

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When an image or form is created with dice, the foreground of the dots and the background colour of the dice interlock to become one image. Therefore, the visual fields (foreground and background) are distorted this distortion creates a hallucinatory effect, reminiscent of a schizophrenic person who cannot separate himself/ herself from their mind.

At the back of this piece I have hung a blue curtain that covers the engine of the machine and hides it from view. The blue is the same colour as the curtain often hung behind Iranian leaders as they give a speech. Even though the three colours of the Iranian flag have a historic meaning and today’s leaders interpret and talk about it through their own religious dimensions. The regality and sense of power of this colour – similar to the blue found in Byzantine mosaics - emphasises the drama of these speeches. It heightens the feeling that Iranian society is constantly caught up between dramatic opposites – good and bad, history and a very religious present.

My motivation for this project is above all grounded in a personal situation. My brother, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, often boasts about his sportsmanship and his great achievements during high school. Ten years have passed since then and he has accomplished nothing since.

He blames my father for his lack of success. I see that my brother, whose condition means that he cannot separate himself from his mind, has a tendency to repeat himself and repeatedly talk about these passed times.

On the other hand, coming from the same religious family that is ruled and controlled by the man of the house, I understand that my father - who has been unable to communicate with his children - could have ignited my brother’s inner symptoms and brought his sickness to the surface. I consider myself lucky to have escaped from this ruling chair.

Finally, this machine with its infinite repetition emphasises a situation that is hard to escape. The belt repeats itself and has no destination. The Schizophrenic Time Machine represents a system with one ruling power, monitoring and controlling a moving belt in an unending cycle.

Despite the situation, my father has still kept his chair, my brother is still on the treadmill, and I moved on with my life.

I see Iran in the same situation, but on a larger scale: Iranians often talk about the great empire that we used to be. Therefore, we introduce ourselves as Persians to distance ourselves from the current state of the country (we mustn’t forget that the Persians established the first declaration of human rights, while today Iran’s Evin prison is filled with journalists and human rights activists). Again, this tension between a historic legacy and the absurdity of the contemporary situation confuses us about who we are. It is only like gargling our past memories, because there is no future in this closed circle of thinking.

Schizophrenic Time Machine (detail)

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Photo by: Patrik Aarnivaara

bioGraphy SHIRIN SABAHI (B. 1984) Education 2009 - MFA, Malmö Art Academy, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden 2007 - AA Photography, Art University, Tehran, Iran 2007 - BA Industrial Design, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran Solo & Two Person Exhibitions 2010 - Slipping Away (w. Sébastien Berthier), Etikett, Malmö, Sweden 2010 - Someone Was Here, Gallery No. 6, Tehran, Iran 2009 - Les Misérables on Stage at Bahman Culture House (Tehran Slaughterhouse), rum46, Århus Denmark 2009 - Down the Rabbit Hole, On the Wall, Cirkulations Centralen, Malmö, Sweden 2009 - Present Perfect Tense, KHM Gallery, Malmö, Sweden Selected Exhibitions & Screenings 2011 - TV Dinner, IM International, New York, NY, USA 2011 - Utan Titel (Video), Skånes Konstförening, Malmö, Sweden 2011 - O Que Passou Continua a Mudar, Platforma Revolver, Lisbon, Portugal 2011 - Brief Histories, College of Fine Arts and Design, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE 2011 - MOP CAP 2011Shortlist Exhibition, Traffic, Dubai, UAE

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2011 - Fotografi i Fokus, Skånes Konstförening, Malmö, Sweden 2011 - Forårsudstillingen, Kunsthall Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark 2010 - 2nd International Congress for Free Artists, Århus Kunstbygning, Århus, Denmark 2010 - Techniques of Persuasion, Konsthall C, Stockholm, Sweden 2010 - Being Visible, Spazio Dogana – Palazzo Ducale, Genoa, Italy 2010 - Media City, Windsor, Canada, cat.

2010 - Iran etc., PiST, Istanbul, Turkey 2009 - Labyrint 09 – Writings and Observations, Botkyrka Konsthall, Tumba, Sweden 2009 - 7th Mercosur Biennial, Porto Alegre, Brazil, cat.

2009 - Accommodation, HISK, Gent, Belgium 2009 - Loop Video Festival, Barcelona, Spain 2008 - The Messenger, Bruuge Cultural Center, Bruges, Belgium, cat.

2008 - At, By, For, Into, Around: The House, Pavilhão 28 – Espaço do Hospital Júlio de Matos, Lisbon, Portugal 2008 - Urban Jealousy, Hafriyat Karakoy, Istanbul Turkey, travelled to West Germany Gallery, Berlin, Germany & Dom Omladine, Belgrade, Serbia 2008 - Tehran, Iran Photo Museum, Tehran, Iran 2007 - 2nd Fanoos Slideshow, Silk Road Gallery, Tehran, Iran 2007 - Deeper Depression, Tehran Gallery, Tehran, Iran 2006 - 1st Anniversary, House of Modern Art, Tehran, Iran

Artist Talks & Presentations 2011 - UBUÖNSDAG, Signal; Institute for Contemporary Art, Malmö, Sweden 2011 - If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller, brev(e), Casa Ramalhete, Belo Horizonte, Brazil 2011 - Artist Talk, Utan Titel (Video), Skånes Konstförening, Malmö, Sweden 2011 - Expired Monument, Story of a Culture Palace (w. Maija Rudovska), Kim? Contemporary Art Centre, Riga, Latvia Other 2009 - Whoever I Like Turns Out to Be A Weirdo, screening curated for Limited Access II, Azad Gallery, Tehran, Iran, travelled to Townhouse Gallery, Cairo, Egypt 2009 - Co-founder and contributor, group etc, ongoing online and event–based project Publications 2011 - ‘Nosferatu in Flight, Then We Went in Search of Somewhere to Stay The Night’, 10th Sharjah Biennial, Sharjah, UAE 2009 - Postscript; ‘Sébastien Berthier & Shirin Sabahi in Conversation’, Artist Book, 34 pages, edition of 100, Stockholm, Sweden

Selected Press 2011 - ‘New Currents: Dissonant Chords’, William Pym, Art Asia Pacific no. 72, Mar/Apr, New York, NY, U.S.A 2009 - ‘Fra Slagteri Til Kulturhus’, Kristine Kern, Politiken DK, Dec. 11 (in Danish) 2009 - ‘8–millimetersfilm med historisk slagkraft’, Björn Lövenlid, Uppsala Nya Tidning, Uppsala, Sweden, Feb. 12 (in Swedish) 2009 - ‘Filterad Historia’, Carolina Söderholm, SydSvenskan, Stockholm, Sweden, Feb. 04 (in Swedish) 2008 - ‘Nur Är Det Vå’r, Ulrika Stahre, Afronboladet, Stockholm, Sweden, May. 22 (in Swedish) Grants & Residencies 2011 - Studio Grant, Malmö Kulturstöd, Sweden 2010 - Assistant Grant, Konstnärsnämnden, Stockholm, Sweden 2009 - International Cultural Exchange, IASPIS, Stockholm, Sweden 2009 - Sparwasser Artist Residency, Århus, Denmark

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The Sleepers and The Wakers / 2011 / 4 colour slides, light box, 8x loupe / Edition 1 of 5 + 2 AP 89 I Shirin Sabahi

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Swede Home / 1966/1973/1975/2009 / DV PAL video with sound, colour, English voice over by Jan Edman, converted from 8mm film / 14 minutes 15 seconds / Dimensions variable / Edition 1 of 5 + 2 AP 91 I Shirin Sabahi

Untitled [District Sixteen] / 2010 / 14 colour slides, mono sound, English voice over by Ayรงa ร zkan / 14 minutes 15 seconds / Dimensions variable / Edition 1 of 5 + 2 AP Shirin Sabahi I 92

statement In my image and text-based projects I investigate competing interpretations and identifications encouraged by language and image in relation to different temporalities. In the four works presented at MOPCAP finalists’ exhibition, the city of Tehran is set as the scene of various recollections and reflections. The city has become a setting for the mapping of the passage of time by examining the altering urban experiences.

In The Sleepers and the Wakers (2011), images of a certain rooftop in Tehran, taken between 2005-2009 give a personal yet overall account of the city during those years, as a backdrop of the events that followed.

The images are taken in the nighttime when, during the warmer seasons, the rooftops function as an extension of the private space. The images bear witness to the migrating youth and urban expansion, while the almost ‘daylight’ quality of them subtly reflects on the city as the space of reality and projection.

Swede Home (1966/1973/1975/2009) evolves from three reels of 8-mm film taken by Jan Edman (1928), a retired Swedish engineer who travelled to Iran nearly 15 times between 1966 and 1979 when master plans for modernisation of the country were at the forefront.

On behalf of a Swedish consulting and engineering company and commissioned by various Iranian stateowned and private industries, he visited different Iranian cities for the purpose of realising industrial projects.

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Edman is asked to give a commentary on his films some thirty years later when his memory and his visual documentation meet again.

Untitled (District Sixteen) (2010) revisits the former Tehran slaughterhouse, one of the sites that Jan Edman was working on during his time in Iran. By means of a narration and a slideshow of the site’s current condition, a photographer documents a visit to the site, accompanied by a former worker of the slaughterhouse where each of them take a tour of their individual memories of the place. After recalling detached memories of the site, their parallel routes meet in the future that they cannot foresee. In the installation of the two latter works together, the audience can choose between the two narrators: one is Edman himself giving a commentary on his films; the other is the artist’s alter ego; a photographer whom upon visiting the site of the former Tehran slaughterhouse unfolds the history of the piece of land that the slaughterhouse was once located on. Edman’s narration is linear and often corresponds to the image whereas the other narration is more detached. The work follows the transformation of the slaughterhouse to a culture house after the 1979 revolution and a target of the systemised land grab in the Tehran of the millennium. While the cameraman’s narration addresses the longing for past and the arbitrariness of memory, the photographer’s narration employs the location of the slaughterhouse for the transference of this non-lived past.

In the joint installation of these works, past and present and real and fictive come together and this charged space becomes the face of the continuous of national identity.

Dealing with identity as such, Geography Test for People in Pictures (2007) playfully invites the audience to measure their knowledge of Tehran. It formulates a diverse reading of urban life in the city, exploring both the national intensities and the homogeneous look as an inevitable part of international capital.

Geography Test for People in Pictures / 2007 / DV PAL video, colour, silent / 3 minutes 18 seconds / Dimensions variable / Edition 1 of 5 + 2 AP Shirin Sabahi I 94

AcknowledGements Mohammad Afkhami Hossein Amirsadeghi Nazgol Ansarinia Haleh Anvari Art Dubai Avantegarde Executive Cars Fereydoun Ave Myrna Ayad Negar Azimi Ali Bakhtiar Ali Bakhtiari Carlo Berardi Canvas Magazine Antonia Carver Aaron Cezar Bahman Chahardehi Christie’s Colorlines Stuart Comer Crystal Arc Adrian Dannatt Helia Darabi Iran Darroudi The Delfina Foundation Delwood Consultancy Services Kamran Diba Farbod Dowlatshahi Maryam Eisler Michael and Shirin Elghanayan Roya Elghanian Delfina Entrecanales Shadi Fahid Rami Farook Lisa Farjam Bita Fayyazi

Rachel Firth Mohammad Firouz Chris Franklin Anahita Ghabaeian Shahnaz Guivi Ramin Hearizadeh Rokni Haerizadeh Zaha Hadid Paul Hewitt Shirazeh Houshiary Nigel Hurst Rose Issa Borna Izadpanah Kayhan London Maneli Keykavoussi Ali Khadra Idris Khan Shahnaz Khonsari Michael-Henry Krayem Paul Jagger Alison Jenkins Isabelle de La Bruyere Farideh Lashai William Lawrie Vali Mahlouji Maryam Massoudi Zain Masud Morad Mazouz Nikki Meftah Michael Michael Abaseh Mirvali Yasmine Mohseni Farhad Moshiri Mohammad Mottahedan Shahareh Naghibi

Sheikh Nahayan Bin Mubarak Al Nahayan Dina Nasser-Khadivi Hans Ulrich Obrist Farah Ossouli Sanam Oveyssi Alexei Panapour Nikolai Panapour Julia Peyton-Jones Janet Rady Sunny Rahbar Neda Razavipour Hamed Sahihi Reza Sakhaei Shirana Shahbazi Rozita Sharafjahan Amir Shariat Nima Shayeghi Sketch Ali Sobati Asal Sobati Sheerin Sobati Mark Standen Sadegh Tabrizi Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Omid Tehrani Sadegh Tirafkan Traffic Isabelle van den Eynde Leila Varasteh Sheena Wagstaff Joe Watling Susann Wintsch

We are indebted to the following individuals without whose generosity this Prize would not have been possible; Christie’s, for the unparalleled and incomparable credibility that they have bestowed upon all of the Magic of Persia auctions to date.

Kamran Diba, for imparting his exceptional wisdom and sharing such inspiring words.

Farbod Dowlatshahi, for his generous sponsorship of the MOP CAP 2011 Winner’s Exhibition as well as his on-going commitment to Magic of Persia and its development.

Michael & Shirin Elghanayan, for their sponsorship of the VIP after party and constant support of Magic of Persia and its initiatives.

Rami Farook & Traffic, for their ongoing support and for generously hosting the MOP CAP 2011 Shortlist Exhibition.

Borna Izadpanah, for his unique vision and creativity in designing the MOP CAP catalogue.

MOP CAP 2011 Judges, for wholeheartedly dedicating their time, expertise and vast knowledge to the prize, and for serving as such inspiring mentors for the emerging artists.

A special thank you to Ali Khadra, the Chair of the MOP CAP 2011 judging panel, whose tireless support of MOP CAP and Magic of Persia has been integral to the success of the Prize.

His Highness Sheikh Nahayan Bin Mubarak Al Nahayan, our dedicated patron, for inaugurating the MOP CAP 2011 Shortlist Exhibition and more importantly for his unwavering support and kindness.

MOP CAP 2011 Nominators, for their devotion, enthusiasm and commitment to the selection process, as well as their support of emerging Iranian art and artists worldwide.

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This catalogue has been published in conjunction with the Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize 2011.

Trustees Farbod Dowlatshahi Shirley Elghanian, Chairman Shirin Elghanayan, Secretary Asal Sobati Vajihe Soleymani, Treasurer

Committee Shirley Elghanian, Chief Executive Goli Nili, Art Director Alexandra Terry, Art Director Shahroo Izadi, Editor Fereshte Moosavi, Events Coordinator Sanam Oveyssi, Art Consultant Sara Ameri, Executive Royal Liaison, UAE Sharareh Naghibi, Bookkeeper/Treasurer

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Typeface and catalogue design: Borna Izadpanah MA Graphic Design / University of the Arts London www.bornaizadpanah.com

MOP CAP Logo Design: Others Atelier Printed by Colorlines / Dubai Set in Myriad Pro

About Magic of Persia ................................................................................

About Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize ...............................

Acknowledgements ...................................................................................

Azadikhah, Niyaz .........................................................................................

Chairman’s Message ...................................................................................

Changalvaee, Shahrzad ............................................................................

Exhibition Programme ..............................................................................

Farhadian, Mehdi ........................................................................................

Fayez, Arash ...................................................................................................

Finalists ...........................................................................................................

Forward ...........................................................................................................

Golkar, Babak ................................................................................................

Judges .............................................................................................................

Nehdaran, Dariush ......................................................................................

Nominators ....................................................................................................

Rahmanian, Hesam .....................................................................................

Sabahi, Shirin ................................................................................................

Shortlisted Artists ........................................................................................

Special Thanks ..............................................................................................

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