Works of modern Iranian artist depict culture old and new
Print Edition
LEADING Iranian contemporary artist Khosrow Hassanzadeh began his artistic life by painting his diary of the Iran-Iraq war to help him release all the sorrow and pain of those years serving and longing for the end of the war.
“After studying art and literature in Tehran, I was drawn to depict different facets of themes particular to Iranian history and culture,” he said. “I wanted to offer a contemporary perspective/explanation through my own expression of some traits of the Iranian culture. It’s like a heritage, a constant source of inspiration.”
While the artist is well known for his earlier works on sensitive subjects based on recent Iranian history such as the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), terrorism and prostitution, a Shanghai art gallery owner decided to focus on another aspect. Anne-Cecile Noique has brought to her gallery Hassanzadeh’s series of wrestlers, Pahlavan, presented as a tribute to a disappearing tradition.
The current solo exhibition includes work from Pahlavan and from Hassanzadeh’s earlier series Ya Ali Madad (2008-09). The series represents a major change in the artist’s evolution. His juxtaposition of color over black and white, of modern over traditional, of Oriental calligraphy over Western pop art foundation, his fusion of mysticism with kitschy physicality, his longing for past glory and veiled criticism for the present day make him a unique contemporary artist.
“I wanted to pay homage to this disappearing culture: the Pahlavan (literally “hero” in Farsi language) maintained a form of wrestling that was deeply rooted in the philosophy and spirituality of the Sufi order,” Hassanzadeh said.
The tribute to Pahlavan wrestlers allows Hassanzadeh to collect old photographs of famous wrestling champions from the pre-1979 era, especially during the 1920s to 1930s, and to “re-contextualize” them under the tile “a Ali Madad,” which he would use over and over again in a dizzying multiplication of Persian calligraphy. This repetition “sounds” like a form of mantra, but it is actually a prayer of the Pahlavan wrestlers before a fight. The meaning of Ya Ali Madad is “May Allah the exalted help you.”
“Although the sport’s popularity declined after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, you can still see photographs of champion wrestlers on the walls of many restaurants and teahouses. I also wanted a more bold and powerful approach to present this ancient Iranian ‘martial art’ discipline, to refresh people’s memory toward their beloved Heroic Wrestlers, to remind people of their beauty, strength and honor,” the artist said.
The process of self-transformation has brought his relationship to the world full circle. “I was no longer looking at my own society with a strictly incriminating eye. Through these photographs, I could not help but feel the heroism, generosity, humanity and uplifting spirituality emanating from those ancient wrestlers, like nostalgia for a long-gone era.”
He says the wrestlers used to be an integral part of Iranian culture. “They were the caretakers of society; they were powerful men, strong men who were society’s protectors and providers. They helped people in need — whether helping to resolve conflicts, organize wedding ceremonies and memorials, or organizing relief during earthquakes. This tradition has ancient roots stretching back to the age of epic heroes of pre-Islamic era.”
The artist likes to combine different techniques of printing and painting on different media such as silkscreen on canvas, ceramic and paper to create a combination of strong colors and a more powerful work. “Here in the series around the heroic wrestlers, I was aiming at bringing a contrast between static and dynamic, the repetition of the sentence.”
“Ya Ali Madad” in Farsi calligraphy creates the movement against the backdrop of a motionless picture, which turn the works more alive with greater tensions,” he said. “I like the superimposition of color over black and white, modern over traditional, the Persian writing over Western pop art foundation that contributes to a more striking visual effect.”
Hassanzadeh is also well-known for his 2004 “Terrorists” series in which he portrayed himself, his mother and sisters as terrorists. He said nowadays the word is thrown about thoughtlessly. In his mind, the work had to pose these questions by cautiously joining the borders of Western and Iranian propaganda. He considers the “Terrorists” series a process of self-transformation, reclamation of the right to self-representation and a declaration of independence.
“I’m looking out for signs of culture and identity, my own identity as an Iranian artist on the international art scene, whose aesthetic judgments are still primarily shaped by occidental values.
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