Nadine Majdalani Begdache
has the pleasure of inviting you to the opening of
Writing Art
Trends in Contemporary Iranian Art Since the Saqqakhanch
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 6 p.m
Exhibition from May 20 to June 18, 2009

Writing Art: Trends in Contemporary Iranian Art Since the Saggakhaneh

The Saggakhaneh art movement developed in the late 1950s as the lranian response to modern Western art and was the result of a constant struggle between tradition and modernism in the art of Iran. Inspired by popular votive art and as a response to the desire for reflecting a specific national heritage in the art of their country, these artists began a new movement of Iranicizing modern Iranian art, which up to that point mainly consisted of creating scenery of Iranian life using outdated styles of western art. Parviz Tanavoli and Sadegh Tabrizi were two of the founding members of this movement whom incorporated national, folkloric and religious elements such as calligraphy into their work. The success of this movement during that era resulted in its immediate international recognition and to this day, success.
Since the Saggakhaneh, artistic movements originating in the West have permeated the Iranian art scene and it is only natural that artists of this region work alongside these movements or styles using their own language. This exhibition presents the works of Parviz Tanavoli and Sadegh Tabriz along with six young artists: Reza Abedini, Shide Tami, Barbad Golshiri, Shahriar Ahmadi, Azadeh Razaghdoust and Houra Yaghoubi.

Simindokht Dehghani