Artists who have left the country discuss some of the lures and pitfalls of being branded IranianGenerations of Iranian artists who have emigrated have struggled with a dualism. On one hand,they want to make art speaking to universal issues. On the other, the market may expect their work to reflect a homeland where they no longer live.
As the country’s geopolitical isolation grew after the 1979 Revolution, and Iranian art became sought after by European or American art buyers seeking to enhance their worldly image as collectors. They wanted pieces that would appear Iranian to someone who had never been to the country.
[br] The image of a struggling Iranian artist making work about his tough life makes for “a sexy story,” explains Iranian-American artist Amir Fallah. “It’s exciting for [collectors]. They have been doing that with African-American artists for decades. I’ve tried to resist it as much as I can.”
Some artists navigate this dichotomy well, securing their dwelling on the world art scene. final year three major museums on the east coast of the United States held exhibitions of Iranian artists. Shirin Neshat had her retrospective at the Hirsh Horn Museum in Washington DC. Parviz Tanavoli’s sculptures were displayed at Wellesley College in Boston. Monir Farman Farmaian had a solo explain at the Guggenheim in unusual York.
These and other artists face a market that expects their work to reflect nowadays’s Iran. It is difficult to identify the degree to which any of the emigre artists profiled below conform to these expectations. But all of them admit to grappling at some point with the issue as artists with an Iranian past.
Nicky Nodjoumi, and unusual York,NY
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Source: theguardian.com