The 2006/2007 art and cultural season has finally kicked off once again with two art exhibitions by two very original and fascinating artists. The month of November promises to offer a great deal. On November 5, renowned Iraqi artist Rafa Nasiri opened his solo exhibition, 'Patina', at Al Riwaq Art Gallery, followed on November 6 by the opening of Love Begins, an art exhibition for Iranian contemporary artist Farhad Moshiri, who is displaying his artwork in Bahrain for the first time, at Al Bareh Art Gallery.
Born in Baghdad in 1940, Nasiri became one of the leading and influential forces behind the rise of the Iraqi conceptual art movement, which took place throughout the later part of the 20th century. After spending periods in Europe in the 60s, followed by stints in Iraq and Bahrain teaching art, he now resides in Jordan.
In Patina, he presents us with a collection that reflects his fascination and love for abstraction, using it as a medium to channel the way he views humanity, nature and life, toying with colours, vague shapes and lines to take us through his intricate mind. He does not tell us what to see, merely hints to us at the possibilities of what could be seen, often using letters and words within the milieu of the painting itself, which adds an almost mystical dimension, almost like a film from a dream, vague, fading and reminiscent.
Words and letters are also an evident feature in Moshiri's work. In the collection of 22 paintings he offers us in his first art exhibition in Bahrain, we are faced with what can only be described as larger-than-life manifestations of contemporary heritage, if there is such a thing, and if there isn't, then that's exactly what Moshiri has created with these pieces.
Moshiri's infatuation with jars and pottery led him to experiment with paint and fragmentation, creating an original and textured feel to his paintings, almost a three-dimensional and authentic element to them. The size of each piece makes it all the more easy to enjoy whether from a distance or up close and the vibrant, bright and rich colors, along with the powerful and evocative phrases, verses and lyrics that Moshiri interjects into his art, contribute in producing some stunning eye-candy.
Moshiri's relaxed and almost care-free attitude towards his own art, combined with his passion and flare, can only be admired. Meeting him in person, one would realise that this is not a man who is on a mission to single-handedly change the world, but to simply help us in seeing the beauty in the simplest, yet most intricate, possible ways.
Both exhibitions were a promising start to the new art season and have helped reinforce the integration of art with verse, just as the upcoming art exhibition for Dutch artist Theodora Plas, whose exhibition Letters of Love opens at La Fontaine Centre for Contemporary Art on November 22, will confirm that artists are finding new ways to express their deep thoughts and feelings by employing letters, words and verses.
Artists, and writers, don't feel that they should be constrained by single mediums, as often used to be the case. With the many different available means nowadays, artists find more room for creativity and experimentation. And it's not only artists, we find poets, novelists, writers and photographers all expanding their horizon of imagination and creativity on different mediums and platforms.
One of many fine examples is award-winning illustrator James Jean and Japanese artist Kenichi Hoshine, creators of the wonderfully-imagined and artistically-conceived A Polite Winter (found at www.politewinter.com, in which a hauntingly bittersweet tale is unravelled through painting and illustrations garlanded with verses.
We are witnessing the birth of a new breed of artists and writers who challenge the norm and break the conventional and traditional constraints.
*First appeared in GDN Vol XXIX, NO. 237, Sunday, 12 November 2006
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