finito di stampare il 05/12/2019 foto a cura di Raffaele Marino ramarino
HOWTAN REÂ SAVE ME!
curated by Barbara Martusciello
HOWTAN SPACE Via dell'Arco de' Ginnasi 5 - Rome www.howtanspace.it - info@howtanspace.com OPENING December 11, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. from 11 December to 14 February 2020
A large video wall on which 14 sculptures are on show, the heart of the exhibition, in dialogue with a neon sign. The entire setting of this solo show has a spiritual and ethical character, based on a concept that expresses harmony and pacification, and is aimed at bringing humanity back to center stage. In the light of the disquieting global political scenario, of the degeneration of contemporary man, of religions being used once again to justify hate and discord, the gesture of an artist, born in Persia, trained in Europe and the United States, stands out more vividly. It is no coincidence, in fact, that the sculptures have the features of Christ who, in the original background of Howtan Re, represents the Prophet. In this work the artist, who chose to live in Italy, uses one of the most recognisable and ubiquitous icons of Western culture.
Accordingly, Howtan makes it an emblem of a belief that crosses the boundaries of religious denominations to become a symbol of sharing and conciliation. Howtan Re's sculptures show a Christ who harmoniously blends masculine and feminine elements, a human yet perfect figure; every Christ is different, every Christ has a crown of thorns and performs his extreme act of sacrifice against all forms of injustice and discrimination. Making a creative and poetic, ironic and provocative choice, the author performs a detailed analysis that is necessary for him and, as usual, is based on the relationship between personal and social values, which summarises the imperatives of his artistic narrative. There are 14 sculptures, like the 14 Stations of the Cross, which, in dialogue with an emblematic inscription, disclose a reversed call for help: it is Christ who demands man's support in order to preserve his message. This work is a reflection on the loss of humanity and spirituality, whether secular or religious.
HOWTAN RE TEHRAN, 1974
Artist and photographer Howtan Re was born in Tehran in 1974. In 1979 Howtan and his two brothers arrived in Italy after the fall of the Shah. Since 1986 he has lived between Italy and the United States. He currently resides in London. Having already built a reputation as an interior designer and an architect, he became interested in photography as a child. He had never considered the idea of becoming an artist until he met professor Achille Bonito Oliva in 2003, who encouraged him to organise his first solo exhibition. In 2004 Howtan presented the series "Hell & Paradise” at the Contarte Gallery. Achille Bonito Oliva was fascinated with Howtan's art and wrote the preface to the catalogue (printed in 30,000 copies). In September 2004 the exhibition "Hell & Paradise" was organised at the Stella Art Gallery in Moscow (currently known as SAF Museum). On that occasion, Howtan was contacted by the Museum of Contemporary Art of St. Petersburg, which later hosted his works.
2004 - "HELL & PARADISE" Rome, Italy Contarte Gallery: 18 works on display, all previously purchased by the Gallery in two runs. Achille Bonito Oliva edits the preface of the catalogue printed in 30,000 copies. FAO: the United Nations agency asks Howtan to take part in a shooting to produce materials for a photography exhibition entitled "The Three Worlds". Moscow, Russia Stella Art Gallery (currently known as Stella Art Foundation) Before the exhibition, the Gallery presents Howtan at the Moscow Art Fair (May 25-30, 2004). On that occasion, Howtan was contacted by the Museum of Contemporary Art in St. Petersburg to host his works.
2005 - "LIGHT ON HELL & PARADISE" Miami, Florida Virginia Miller Art Space version of the shots of the exhibition in Rome on light box support. Virginia Miller herself presents him at Palm Beach 3 Art Fair as a solo artist. A well-known art collector named Javier Lumbreras (Artemundi & Company Exclusive Art Collections), who had previously worked with Christie's and Sotheby’s, buys 27 works as an investment. Through Lumbreras, the Bass Museum of Art in Miami receives a work by Howtan as a donation for its permanent collection. The trade press writes about the artist. In addition to articles published in Art in America and Art News in the month of May, NY Art Magazine devotes to him the cover
of the issue and a long interview with images of his works. The Edition is distributed at the Art Basel International Fair, defined by the NY Times as "The Olympics of the Art World" and by Le Monde as "The Best Fair in the World" with over 60,000 visitors and 2,500 artists being represented. 2010 - Howtan develops a first photography project called "GREEN" devoted to the relationship between Man and Nature. At the same time, he comes up with the idea of the "GIANT ALPHABET”, an installation that explores the themes of recycling and environmental sustainability. 2011 - Rome, Italy Howtan produces a series of works made from recycled materials to support the environmental cause, by donating three of his works to the First National Forum on Waste Recycling and Renewables. (Ecomunica) 2012 - Rome, Italy Howtan wins the call for proposals issued by Italy’s Ministry of Tourism. The installation entitled "UNITED" will be placed on permanent display at the main entrance of the Prime Minister’s Office. "Honouring The Women”: a project that aims at disseminating the culture of respect for women. Howtan donates twelve of his works to reward celebrities from the national and international business, cultural and scientific spheres, including Andrea Bocelli and Anna La Rosa. 2013 - Rome, Italy "H3 Howtan Heads Hunter Collections", solo exhibition in Rome, Italy Melbourne, Australia "H3 Howtan Heads Hunter Collections, on show at the Melbourne Royal House and at the Italian Cultural Institute.
2015 - Milan, Italy - EXPO 2015 PATCH FOR FUTURE Patch for Future is an initiative stemming from an idea of Italian-Persian artist Howtan Re, promoted by ‘Symbola - Fondazione per le qualità italiane’, in cooperation with KIP International School and Italy’s Ministry of Education, University and Research. Patch for Future was also sponsored by EXPO Milan 2015 and the Ministry of the Environment. 2020 - Avila, Spain The New Museum of Contemporary Art in Arevalo will host the Lumbreras Foundation’s collection, including three works by Howtan, that will be permanently exhibited. GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2011 - Italian Cultural Institute - Los Angeles, USA 2011 - Italian Cultural Institute - New York, USA 2012 - “RICICLARTE” - San Sisto Orange Tree Garden Rome, Italy 2013 - Italian Embassy - Washington, USA 2014 - Howtan Space, GREEN - Rome - Italy
UFFICIO STAMPA Silvia Bacci +39.338.6660784 silviabaccistampa@gmail.com Ginevra Bandini +39.335.1750404 ginevra.bandini@fosforopress.com