Press Release
The Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery is pleased to announce
the highly anticipated exhibition of modern Middle Eastern, Iranian and American artists titled
East West Dialogues: Mysticism, Satire and the Legendary Past. Leila Heller and guest curator Dr. Layla S. Diba will host a private opening celebration at the Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery, 39 East 78th Street at Madison Avenue, New York City on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 from 6pm until 9pm. The exhibition opens to the public on May 22 and continues through June 27.
The works of more than 50 artists ranging from pioneers to modern masters and exciting emerging artists will be presented in this exhibition organized by guest curator Dr. Layla S. Diba, world renowned scholar, author, professor and independent curator of Islamic Art. The show explores their shared artistic concerns and practices by focusing on the themes of mysticism, satire and the legendary past.
Modern art of the Middle East has received attention of late from museums and galleries, and has achieved record prices in specialized auction sales, primarily in Europe and the Persian Gulf. The role of calligraphy and Islamic culture in the creation of a modern Middle Eastern esthetic and art movement has been explored in museum presentations. This exhibition seeks to shed a different light on this tradition by presenting abstract, figurative and minimalist artworks primarily informed by Sufism, historical and satirical themes, and imagery. Pioneering artists such as the Moroccan Mehdi Ghotbi and the Iranian Charles Hossein Zenderoudi often created inspired visual meditations based on script. Their works occupied a space at the intersection of Holy Scripture and art. Others, such as Massoud Arabshahi, looked to the monumental architecture of legendary cities of the past, such as Takht-I Jamshid (Persepolis) and to symbols of ancient religions to create minimalist abstract paintings and sculpture. Similar spiritual concerns and an interest in the potential of calligraphy as a liberating influence can be seen in the works of American Abstract Expressionist masters Cy Twombly and Mark Tobey.
The gallery is proud to present a selection of works by Ardeshir Mohassess, a master of political caricature and social satire, whose commentary is often clothed in the visual language of nineteenth century Iran. Largely unrecognized by the art world, Mohassess has influenced a generation of poets, artists and intellectuals both within Iran and in diaspora.
One of the most popular poets in both eastern and western cultures, the 13th century Persian poet Rumi has inspired countless poets, musicians and singers. His influence can
also be seen in the subtle and poetic paintings of such artists as Shirazeh Houshiary and
Y.Z. Kami, whose works and practice are leading examples of the shared dialogues between east and west. So too is the work of more than 15 American artists who have provided illustrations ranging in style from minimalist to abstract and naturalistic for artbooks of Rumi’s poetry. Lyrical landscape photographs of Maryam and Rolf Sachs, visions of mystic trees by Shirin Neshat, subtle video paintings of transparent, shifting layers of water, trees and written signs by Shoja Azari and Shahram Karimi, and magical seascapes by Laleh Khorramian all partake of a quiet meditative mood and find poetry everywhere in nature. So too do the Zen-like landscape photographs of American artist William T. Hillman, the fantastical inhabited landscapes of Joyce Korotkin and the harmonious color poems of Conrad de Kwiatokowski.
In recent years the satire and social commentary y of Mohassess found renewed vigor in the works of artists including Negar Ahkami and Nicky Nodjoumi. Other artists continue to mine the past for inspiration, be it in subversive commentaries on Orientalism or new perspectives on the uses of script.
The art world has seen the unprecedented success of modern Asian and South Asian Art in the past decade, represented here by the works of internationally recognized artists
Xu Bing and Shahzia Sikander. This timely exhibition presents the exciting possibilities displayed by modern Middle Eastern art at the very beginning of what promises to be a similarly spectacular rise.
The Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery is pleased to announce
the highly anticipated exhibition of modern Middle Eastern, Iranian and American artists titled
East West Dialogues: Mysticism, Satire and the Legendary Past. Leila Heller and guest curator Dr. Layla S. Diba will host a private opening celebration at the Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery, 39 East 78th Street at Madison Avenue, New York City on Wednesday, May 21, 2008 from 6pm until 9pm. The exhibition opens to the public on May 22 and continues through June 27.
The works of more than 50 artists ranging from pioneers to modern masters and exciting emerging artists will be presented in this exhibition organized by guest curator Dr. Layla S. Diba, world renowned scholar, author, professor and independent curator of Islamic Art. The show explores their shared artistic concerns and practices by focusing on the themes of mysticism, satire and the legendary past.
Modern art of the Middle East has received attention of late from museums and galleries, and has achieved record prices in specialized auction sales, primarily in Europe and the Persian Gulf. The role of calligraphy and Islamic culture in the creation of a modern Middle Eastern esthetic and art movement has been explored in museum presentations. This exhibition seeks to shed a different light on this tradition by presenting abstract, figurative and minimalist artworks primarily informed by Sufism, historical and satirical themes, and imagery. Pioneering artists such as the Moroccan Mehdi Ghotbi and the Iranian Charles Hossein Zenderoudi often created inspired visual meditations based on script. Their works occupied a space at the intersection of Holy Scripture and art. Others, such as Massoud Arabshahi, looked to the monumental architecture of legendary cities of the past, such as Takht-I Jamshid (Persepolis) and to symbols of ancient religions to create minimalist abstract paintings and sculpture. Similar spiritual concerns and an interest in the potential of calligraphy as a liberating influence can be seen in the works of American Abstract Expressionist masters Cy Twombly and Mark Tobey.
The gallery is proud to present a selection of works by Ardeshir Mohassess, a master of political caricature and social satire, whose commentary is often clothed in the visual language of nineteenth century Iran. Largely unrecognized by the art world, Mohassess has influenced a generation of poets, artists and intellectuals both within Iran and in diaspora.
One of the most popular poets in both eastern and western cultures, the 13th century Persian poet Rumi has inspired countless poets, musicians and singers. His influence can
also be seen in the subtle and poetic paintings of such artists as Shirazeh Houshiary and
Y.Z. Kami, whose works and practice are leading examples of the shared dialogues between east and west. So too is the work of more than 15 American artists who have provided illustrations ranging in style from minimalist to abstract and naturalistic for artbooks of Rumi’s poetry. Lyrical landscape photographs of Maryam and Rolf Sachs, visions of mystic trees by Shirin Neshat, subtle video paintings of transparent, shifting layers of water, trees and written signs by Shoja Azari and Shahram Karimi, and magical seascapes by Laleh Khorramian all partake of a quiet meditative mood and find poetry everywhere in nature. So too do the Zen-like landscape photographs of American artist William T. Hillman, the fantastical inhabited landscapes of Joyce Korotkin and the harmonious color poems of Conrad de Kwiatokowski.
In recent years the satire and social commentary y of Mohassess found renewed vigor in the works of artists including Negar Ahkami and Nicky Nodjoumi. Other artists continue to mine the past for inspiration, be it in subversive commentaries on Orientalism or new perspectives on the uses of script.
The art world has seen the unprecedented success of modern Asian and South Asian Art in the past decade, represented here by the works of internationally recognized artists
Xu Bing and Shahzia Sikander. This timely exhibition presents the exciting possibilities displayed by modern Middle Eastern art at the very beginning of what promises to be a similarly spectacular rise.