| We are pleased to announce the exhibition Diaspora Iran: (Be)longing curated by Vinzenz Adldinger and Keivan Moussavi Aghdam. Vinzenz Adldinger assisted at the Apartment of Art for three years during his studies. During this time he undertook two trips to Iran and met the Iranian art historian Keivan Moussavi Aghdam in Berlin. Since that time, the concept for this exhibition has developed piece by piece, which we can now finally realise.
Immigration encapsulates the complex interplay between one's familiar homeland and its absence. Distance, as a fundamental concept, plays a defining role in shaping the immigrant experience. Migration creates a melancholic atmosphere in which individuals find themselves navigating the simultaneous existence of two worlds. They engage in the daily life of their host country; memories, news, concerns, and joys from their place of origin persist in an abstract form. Consequently, immigrants find themselves on the border between two realms, caught between the notions of "there" and "here," without fully belonging to either. This exhibition showcases the works of artists who have created their art while living in exile. Titled Diaspora Iran: (Be)longing, the exhibition invites the spectator to contemplate distance and connection between these artworks and the notion of belonging. There is a palpable sense of detachment and distance; however, paradoxically, one's sense of identity is also defined by what one is distanced from. The ongoing "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement, closely followed by immigrants, accentuates both the sense of separation and the emerging bond. This exhibition seeks to provide an opportunity to explore and engage with the art and culture of a diverse group of Munich citizens. Additionally, the exhibition aims to facilitate meaningful discussions among Iranians living in Munich, allowing them to express their thoughts in an artistically reflective manner and fostering a deeper appreciation for the breadth of Iranian art production within the diaspora.
Vinzenz Adldinger and Keivan Moussavi Aghdam
Short biographies:
Parastou Forouhar shows "Augen, Panorama I" from 2020, a wall-sized digital drawing with figures trying to protect themselves from omnipresent gazes. The artist employs the symbols of Iranian art, namely calligraphy, ornamentation, and elements of religious art, to convey the intricate political and social landscape of Iran through a symbolic lens. She explores the female body as a significant political theme, critically examining the controlling perspective prevalent within Iran's patriarchal society.
Kaveh Kavoosi shows three works: A film from the Enharmonic series in which the interplay of external influences on elements of life that need to be protected can be seen, as well as two collages from the Positions series. He follows Iranian painting traditions, offering a poignant portrayal of contemporary social and political issues. He captures his experience in exile by utilizing abstract spaces. His artworks serve as a multifaceted expression of his connection to his homeland, while acting as a shield, affording him refuge from the conditions within the country. Neda Razavipour shows the documentation of her installation and performance "Musical Chairs" from the Zürich Tanzt Festival of 2021. Chairs symbolise the absence from loved ones, which she connects with ribbons and in this way receives comfort for the wounds of separation.
A central concern in her performances lies in depicting the condition of humanity in the contemporary world, where surface appearances convey calmness and order, but a sense of abnormality lurks behind the facade. She creates artworks that capture the experience of a fragmented existence.
Golnar Tabibzadeh is represented with five paintings showing faces whose coloured surfaces connect, expressing different states of mind such as worry, joy, but also longing and depression of the artist herself and other people she observes. Her artworks manifest a discernible presence of self-narrative. Within the realm of her artistic expressions, she diligently seeks to encapsulate the intricate dynamics between her personal identity and the external environment. Notably, her artworks exist in a liminal space, poised between the realms of introspection and the external world.
Vinzenz Adldinger currently in his M.A. studies of Art History of Near and Middle East at LMU Munich focusing on contemporary western and Iranian art. Assisting at the Apartment of Art for three years, he came into contact with many local and international artists. Co-working at Munich's Cinema IranFestivals, he was able to deepen his specialisation with important Iranian cultural figures.
Keivan Moussavi Aghdam focuses on the philosophy of art and photography in contemporary Iranian art. Since 2019, he has been working on his doctoral degree as a PhD Candidate in Visual History at Humboldt University in Berlin with a scholarship from the Max-Planck-Society. He holds a Master's degree in Art Theories and a Bachelor's degree in Photography. |
