I had gone to the premier of the film “Women without Men” by Shirin Neshat. Prior to the film I bought her book and had it signed.
I am a great fan of her work, but my question in the QA session did seem to get up her nose. If I recall I asked “Iranian Art has had some success Thanks to altermodernism and Saatchi’s interest in this field. why does Iranian Art have to be so brutal and melancholic” and could we be accused of a kind of Self imposed orientalism if we continue with promoting our Art in the West on the basis of cultural shock value?
She didn’t like that question, and responded that it is always fellow Iranians who are so critical of the image of Iranian-ness that we portray another words we stay conservative because we don’t want to dent our national dignity.
My verdict is that just like Bridget Riley to some extend she has become a victim of her own success as everyone wants to have a piece of the action.
I do get annoyed with some of the people in the Art industry who have focused in Middle Eastern Art, who are in it just to make money. Good for them but the outcome is that they manipulate the Artists to produce goods that sell in the same way as road side locals in Africa carve wooden elephants to sell to the tourists. If I may criticize my own people, us Iranians are not the most principled of people, give a chance to an unestablished Artist to have a show, and make a few bucks and get a name among a public that doesn’t know shit from Shinola and until you are forgotten you’ve got what you always wanted!
So the galleries get saturated with images of melancholic veiled women looking at you from every angle!
The difference is that she in contrast to the cheap imitations actually produce beautiful images. Her film was in fact a series of fantastic imagery from one shot to another. Images produced by an immaculate photographer.
Gilbert and George once said that they stopped doing their drawings because people found them beautiful and that was getting in the way of the Art.
I think the same tip could be used for the film, and Iranian Art in general. There is too much emphasis on beauty and aesthetics and the Art could get lost in the way.
All these constraits leaves no room for Iranian Turner prize winners, where are those brave enough to make something that a public might hate today but grow to appreicate in ten years time.
Having said all the above, I do confess that melancholy is a national sport/pass time for us Iranians, and I shouldn’t throw that many stones as my own Art can seriously get Maccabre at time, but believe me if I make miserable Art in my case it is not because I think that sells or gets me promoted. If I wanted to hang my work in a Gallery and get a name I would have done it years ago. At least I am one Artist who Thanks to slaving for Investment Banks could afford the cost of throwing an Exhibition, and I’ve done promotion and Exhibition catalogs for others so it isn’t as if I don’t know how, I wasn’t planning to make money out of my work, and turning pro puts you in a different ball game.
I don’t want to do that because there are a few things which in life I really want to keep true and pure, one my marriage and being a husband and a father two my Art. I do it for myself anyway, so why screw that up?
doodlejuice 