This week, the art scene began its activities with notable exhibitions: Hossein Maher at Dastan Gallery; Ali Zakari and Elahyar Najafi at Aran Gallery; Mahin Manfred at Negar Gallery, and Roozbeh Sharif at Gallery Soo. Individual exhibitions by artists indicate the revival of the art scene in the new season. While group exhibitions aim to promote and showcase emerging artists more, the multitude of solo exhibitions in the first week indicates a serious commitment by galleries and a vibrant season.
Amidst these exhibitions, the only sculpture exhibition was Roozbeh Sharif’s Siah Bazi.
Sharif is a young artist who last year held a successful exhibition, particularly well-received by both domestic and international collectors, especially young audiences. In the 1990s, Italian artist Cattelan said, “I feel that art has the potential to create a major contraversy and reach a huge audience. If my work cannot do this, then it is worthless. I have no doubt in my ability.” Cattelan is a powerful, multimedia, and pioneering artist who in 1990 solemnized the wax sculpture of the U.S. President Kennedy in real dimensions, in a coffin, in Paris. Born in 1960, he called Kennedy’s death ‘the death of hope’ and named the ceremony “Now”.
Sharif is a sculptor has been accused of either repeating his father’s work or being influenced by others like Dubuffet; however, everyone judges according to their own knowledge.
Artists always start from somewhere, but wherever Sharif has started from, it doesn’t matter, as long as he shines brightly, causes a stir, and the art dealers are surrounding him, albeit with of course lured by cash.
He has the ability to create a broad argument like Cattelan. He is not like his father, at least in personal his behavior where he doesn’t hold back, working hard, and engaging in his workshop with discipline. He reminds me of the old masters…
The structure of his exhibition is characterized by greater solidity. Although he has targeted violence in both of his exhibitions, but he strictly avoids the Chinese Nike mass-produced look and makes his work fashionable by looking outwards. He has rationalized his work and concepts, relying on traditional dramatic elements, and he attempts to engage forcefully in the established materialism of conventional sculpture, which is market-appealing. He has set his sights on a new tone vacuum in contemporary sculpture and presents a vibrant, vitrine-like collection with prominent role-playing structures, enriched with colorful tones that eclipse his paintings. Although his wall large paintings are a thought-provoking subject of this exhibition.
Presenting his works on three floors of the gallery in a significant number indicates his power and productivity in a year. Inspired by the black-face character of puppet shows and traditional theater, he presents layers of invisible visual elements in the form of colorful and glossy tales. His works have the ability to confront the virtual imagery and multiple melodies while on the brink of all the pollution in social media, as evidenced by the large number of collectors and young artists who attended this exhibition.
The current trend in contemporary Iranian art heralds a new era, with global theoretical horizons about art in flux. At the threshold of the artificial intelligence revolution, the creation of art is transitioning towards human physicality. Without personal and climatic biological experience in this field and mastery over the realm of mind and perception, the possibility of movement, novelty, production, and audience attention is deemed impossible. The collapse of outdated presentation methods and displaying the least consequences of this new world is a hesitant and accelerated struggle towards adopting an inevitable, powerful, and innovative method.