Entertainment | Visual & Performing Arts
A celebration of Iranian art
Iranian art has created a big buzz at recent auctions. Significant works by 31 well-known artists will go under the hammer in Dubai.
- By Jyoti Kalsi, Special to Weekend Review
- Published: 00:09 November 16, 2007
- Image Credit:
- Faghat Eshgh (Only Love) by Farhad Moshiri
Significant works by 31 well-known artists will go under the hammer in Dubai.
Iranian art has created a big buzz at recent auctions. At Christie's auction of Contemporary and Modern Art in Dubai last month, Farhad Moshiri's One World/Yek Donya sold for $601,000, the highest ever price recorded for an Iranian artist, and Parviz Tanavoli's Standing Poet set a new record for Iranian sculpture.
Sotheby's first Modern and Contemporary Arab and Iranian art sale in London last month also fetched record prices for Iranian artists such as Mohammad Ehsai, Golnaz Fathi, Farideh Lashaei and Rokni Haerizadeh.
Art lovers in the region have a unique opportunity to see and buy works by all these artists as well as artworks by other well known names in Iranian art such as Shirin Neshat, Shadi Ghadirian, Shirana Shahbazi and Y.Z. Kami at a charity auction to be held at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers on November 24.
The auction, to be conducted by Jussi Pylkkänen, President of Christie's Middle East and Europe, will feature significant works by 31 well-known Iranian artists. It will also include paintings by children from Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs in Dubai and Future Centre in Abu Dhabi.
The auction will mark the culmination of a four-day celebration of Iranian art and culture titled Magic of Persia: Magical Nights in Dubai. The event has been organised by Magic of Persia, a UK-based charity that educates young people around the world on the unique contribution of Persian culture to society through workshops and education programmes in partnership with museums and other institutions.
All the artworks for the auction have been donated by the artists and their galleries to Magic of Persia. "We are overwhelmed by this generosity. The artists are happy to support the promotion of Iranian art and culture and most of them will be in Dubai for our event. It is a historic occasion to have so many well-known artists together," said Shirley Elghanian, Chief Executive of Magic of Persia.
"We have planned this event in Dubai because there are many Iranians living here and it is convenient for artists and guests from Iran to travel here. We also have artists and guests from Europe and the US who are keen to visit Dubai. We expect to raise $1 million through the auction and hope that our guests will be as generous as the artists and surpass our expectations," she added.
Previews of the artworks will be held at various galleries in Dubai from November 17. The eccelectic collection ranges from oil paintings and collages to bronze sculptures and photographs. Rooted in the rich history and tradition of Iranian art, the artworks reflect the modern outlook of contemporary Iranian artists living in Iran and abroad.
For instance, Shirin Aliabadi's Miss Hybrid III aims to capture the aesthetic nuances that shape the identity of the new Iranian girl. The 'in look' is blonde hair, coloured contact lenses, facial piercing and surgical nose tape — a fashion 'must have', indicative of plastic surgery. "I have tried to demystify the charged symbol of the chador, while showing how Iranian women negotiate the powers exercised over them," says Aliabadi.
Andisheh Avini was born and raised in New York but has stayed close to his Persian roots. His paintings of skulls explore the idea of anonymity and his belief that the face and the description of a person are not important. "We cannot say who they were or what they did. They are simply the remains of those that once were — in death we are all alike," he says. Avini's skulls are finely covered with decorative Iranian patterns. His 'Spider skull' offered at the auction is decorated with marquetery.
Henry Dallal's photographs speak about his travels. The London-based artist's work ranges from images of nomadic tribes in the Turkmen steppes to cavalry in Knightsbridge and he has been commissioned to do portraits by Princess Haya and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The photograph to be auctioned has been chosen by National Geographic for consideration in its images of the world collection.
Undoubtedly, the highlights of the event are Moshiri's Swarovski crystal studded Faghat Eshgh (Only Love) and Tanavoli's exquisite fibreglass sculpture titled Standing Heech. "We already have many absentee bids for these," says Shirley.
Public previews in Dubai
Funds raised at the auction will support the Magic of Persia Education programmes and the Columbia University based Encyclopedia Iranica project, which is the largest compilation of information on Iranian art, culture and history. Humanitarian grants will also be awarded to The Future Centre for Special Needs, Abu Dhabi and Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs, Dubai.
The four day programme starting on November 21 includes a Pro/am Golf Tournament and Persian themed evenings with performances by famous artistes such as Sufi dancer, Shahrokh Meshjinghalam.
Public previews of the artworks to be auctioned will be hosted by:
Third Line Gallery from November 17 to 19 – 11am to 8 pm.
XVA Gallery from November 21 to 23 – 9am to 9 pm.
Godolphin Ballroom foyer, Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel on November 24, 11am to 5pm.
Tickets for the four-day event are priced at $1,000. For further information, invitations, catalogues and absentee bidding forms go to www.magicofpersia.com
- Jyoti Kalsi is a UAE-based art enthusiast.
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