Film Screening At LACMA: Monir

Monir is a 2014 documentary about the life and works of Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, one of Iran’s most preeminent artists. Directed by Bahman Kiarostami and produced by Layla Fakhr, Monir is an in depth look at Farmanfarmaian who rose to attention in the 1970s with her breathtaking geometric mirror work. Farmanfarmaian’s recent work is being shown at the Haines Gallery in San Francisco concurrently with a retrospective exhibition of her work in New York’s Guggenheim Museum.

The documentary will be screened at LACMA’s Bing Theater on Thursday, May 26, 2015, 7 PM. The event is free and open to the public. Here’s a little about the film, according to the documentary’s official site, MonirDocumentary.com:

The film provides a close-up view into a woman’s artistic career that has spanned over half a century. It explores a range of factors that have made her one of the most innovative and influential artists of the Middle East, from her method of constructing mirror mosaics to uncovering her past, the extreme political changes in her own country and her subsequent migration to New York. With a musical score by composer Hooshyar Khayam and the Kronos Quartet, the camera meets Monir, now back in Tehran after 30 years. Her return sparked an artistic rebirth and although she is now aged 90, she is at the peak of her career.

Below is an excerpt from an interview between Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmian and curator of the Guggenheim exhibition, Suzanne Cotter of the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art in Porto, Portugal:
 

 
For our Persian speakers, here is BBC Persian’s piece on the Monir’s exhibition in New York City’s Guggenheim Museum:

 
 
Hope all of you can make it to the screening to enjoy what is sure to be a beautiful, inspiring, and informative film!
 
 
 

[Image via Monir Documentary]

 
 

Iranian Film Line Up in Berlin Festival

Best of luck to the NINE Iranian films that will be featured in this year’s Black International Cinema Berlin, spanning May 7 – 11, 2014. This 29th festival’s tagline is “Pathways to Enlightenment,” honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s visit to Berlin in 1964, and will feature a photography exhibition entitled, “Footprints in the Sand?” The festival aims to promote intercultural communication.

Below is a list of each film and a short description, courtesy of the festival website.

ZENDEGI FAGHAT YEK ETEFAGHE SADE AST // LIFE IS A SIMPLE HAPPENING | Director: Khashayar Matapoor
A young doctor decides to travel for relief and escape from her problems. Coincidentally, she meets a family in Oraman of Kurdistan. The shared experience with the family is very meaningful to her.

ARTESHE PENHAN // HIDDEN ARMY | Director: Mohammad Esmaeili
A lone soldier is running from the enemy. Not the many explosions around him and not even the bullet in his leg is stopping him. But a massive explosion finally pulls him down. He drags himself near a house and puts his back against a palm tree, when suddenly the voice of a woman attracts his attention…

ABRHAYE KOLALEI // COLUMBUS CLOUDS | Director: Bahar Lellahi
Hamidreza, after several years comes back to Iran for his nephew’s marriage, after his engagement has failed and he is disappointed and alone. Gradually, he comes to understand his mother’s and family’s problems.

ZEMESTANE AKHAR // THE LAST WINTER | Director: Salem Salavati
Baji and headman are the sole survivors of an isolated village, which is sinking under water little by little. They are companions and confidants of one another. One night, haphazardly and due to constraints of nature, they are away from each other and Baji is left alone at home. The headman does his best to pass through the snow while Baji, all alone in the village, is embroidering the last part of her story on cloth.

SOSKHA AZ ROSHANAEI MOTANAFERAND // COCKROACHES HATE LIGHT | Director: Hamid Sadeghpoor
A man is trapped in an odorous cubic enclosure and…?

AZ MENHAYE YEK // FROM MINUS ONE | Director: Marjan Ashrafzade
Forced by her husband, Tayebeh is going to a stranger to get her husband’s bad check returned. She is certain, though, that the price will be to sleep with the strange man. Now, to go or not to go, this is her call?

PAYANE FASLE 3 // END OF SEASON 3 | Director: Soran Fahim
A Kurdish writer is writing a story on Anfal, but can’t find an ending for it…

DERAKHTE BADAM // ALMOND | Director: Mokhtar Masoumyan
The story is about a girl who derives a problem because of an old tradition (circumcision). Now at the beginning of her marriage, some other social problems appear. “Almond” is the story of Awat, a girl who encounters traditions and enters a new world full of adversity. Circumcision of girls is performed among traditional Iranian society in some rural regions.

SOBHE ROZE BAAD // THE NEXT MORNING | Director: Ali Hashemi
Sahar wakes up to perform her daily routine. But a strange event has happened because nobody recognizes her. At first, Sahar thinks a mistake has been made, but the shocking fact is, she must face her new reality.

Iranian Art Prospers – the Fadjr Festival of International Visual Arts

The Fadjr International Festival of Visual Arts takes place every February, in Iran. Take a look at the video to hear highlights from the Festival and about the state of Iranian art and artists.

The art scene in Iran is dynamic and it has seen the rise of many renowned artists in recent times. One of the events that allows young and thriving artists to showcase their works alongside famous Iranian artists in the Fajr Visual Arts Festival. An art event that is picking up over the years with more and more exhibits going on display.

“Over 19,000 artworks from 6,100 artists from 51 countries entered the festival, from these we chose 990 works from 800 artists to go display and take part in the festival. This art event has achieved a significant turnout this year,” Abbas Mir-Hashemi
Secretary of Fajr Visual Arts Festival said.

The competition was in held in various fields of visual arts from photography to calligraphy and from sculptures to ceramics. As one art connoisseur put it categorizing modern art is itself difficult.

The Director of Tehran’s Museum of Contemporary Arts said, Majid Mulla-Nourouzi
“The visual arts were seeing here is from various fields which we usually see these works in separate expos but here there all together, this is of importance as in modem arts we have many artworks that are in between fields such as video arts and performances.”

Works from renowned artists took part in the non-competitive section of the festival, for the young and thriving the government is trying to help these artists become better known.

Ali Moradkhani, the Deputy for Arts at the Ministry of Culture said, “On part of the government we will try in the coming years to make exemplary works known to collectors and at the same time we will support many of the artists by getting many of these artworks for our collection, so in a way it’s the history of art of this country and at the same time its support artists.”

The judges we talked too mentioned the improving scene in their field of visual arts and the artists themselves were happy with the way the event was held this year.

Artist, Behzad Hajir, said “The difference in this year’s festival compared to before is that in the ceramics section which I took part there are no limitations and if you look at the works on display this is clearly shown.”

While the Fajr festival has come to an end these works of art will be on display in 21 provinces in Iran and in Tehran’s Museum of Contemporary arts during the Nowruz holidays as the country celebrates the Persian New Year.

[Source: Press TV]

Iranian Artists at Christie’s 2014 Dubai Auction [from Tehran News]

This week , it’s Christie’s MODERN & CONTEMPORARY ARAB, IRANIAN & TURKISH ART  auction, which will take place on 19 March 2014 in Dubai. The auction features art from across the Middle East, including work from 20 Iranian artists. Quoted below, is the Tehran Times story on the auction and the Iranian artists whose works are featured.

A selection of works by prominent Iranian artists will be offered for sale at Dubai Christie’s auction of Contemporary Arab, Iranian and Turkish Art, which is scheduled to be held on March 19.

Works by 20 internationally reputed artists such as Iranian sculptor Parviz Tanavoli, filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, and painters Masud Arabshahi and Farideh Lashaii will be auctioned at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, Christie’s has announced on its website.

The highlight of this edition includes three calligraphic paintings by Mohammad Ehsaii, three paintings by Farhad Moshiri and two works by Hossein Zendehrudi.

Works by deceased artists Mansur Qandriz (1935-1965), and the female artist Farideh Lashaii (1944-2013) are also in the collection.

According to Michael Jeha, the managing director of Christie’s in the Middle East, “This will provide a more convenient, single moment for visiting international collectors to see the very best of art from the region in one week.”

Masterpieces from the Pharos Art Collection and from the Maath Alousi Collection, comprising Egyptian painter Mahmoud Said, and Syrian painter Fateh Moudarres are also included.

In addition, the 8th Edition of Art Dubai, the largest and most established contemporary art fair in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, will also take place in Madinat Jumeirah concurrent with the auction, offering commissioned projects and performances along with educational workshops, which will be held from March 19 to 22.

[Source: Tehran Times]

 

Iranian American Artists in NYC

Vanity Fair published a list of 11 Iranian-American artists, filmmakers, musicians, and designers who have established themselves in New York City, including artist, photographer, and filmmaker, Shirin Neshat; designer, Nima Behnoud; and Iranian folk singer/songwriter Mohsen Namjoo.

We know there are scores of Iranian-Americans missing from the list, but it’s a nice – albeit small – sample of the amount of talent Iran has to offer.

Click HERE to see who else is on the list, then leave us a comment below and tell us who you wish were on the list!