Mohsen Vaziri Moghaddam

Six Weeks of Iranian Art spans three generations and during the lives of these generations, Iran went through traumatic and unsettling times. When reviewing Iran (originally called Persia) from an art historical context, that which immediately comes to mind is the traditional miniatures that explored a multitude of subjects ranging from religious to quotidian. It was an art identifiable with a culture. This series of exhibitions rises above political references and concerns to focus on the equalization of cultures.

 Michele Foucault saw in the Iranian condition hope for a new and revitalised way of living. He spoke of the Iranians in the following terms; there was “literally a light that lit up all of them, that bathed all of them at the same time.” I see this light as well – an enthusiasm that ranges from modernism to the post-modern conversation currently engaged in the light of the cultural diversity that makes up the Canadian demographic. Art is a language available that allows for incandescence and this series of exhibitions celebrates the visual articulation between cultures.

Mohsen Vaziri Moghadam, an octogenarian, experienced the beginnings of the change from the traditional to the modern and is known, as a result, as one of the first Iranian Modernist painters. With an active practice, his work made inroads through abstraction concurrent with the sweeping movements felt throughout the western world. His work is brave, accomplished and ambitious with periodical bursts of wit lending an energetic tempo to his visual melody. Grand in scale and slick in execution, he has taken his place amongst the acclaimed artists who have forged their own uniqueness from depiction to abstraction.

Mahmoud Meraji’s modernist intonation could be compared to that of Europe during the early twentieth century and yet there is a fresh and curious difference as if he is truly attempting to create a new reality, a new concept of the self.  Mahmoud’s ongoing search for a visual language that will express his understanding of himself as an artist of Iranian heritage has kept alive corresponding disciplines with his portraiture shadowed by his modernist oeuvre. As Mahmoud pushes the boundaries of his art work ever outwards, the limits of his experience are ever widening.

Pooyan Tabatabaei is, generationally, the bridge between Mahmoud Meraji, the father and Mehrad Meraji, the son. His work shifts from modernism to postmodernism. Tabatabatei’s chooses as subject matter the most powerful symbol of Iranian specificity – the veil, the chador. Within his photographs, his quest for understanding this potent visual signifier set in the snowy parkland of Canada transcends the symbolic association, achieving an aesthetic meaning more about beauty than specificity.

Mehrad Meraji’s perspective has been shaped by the nurturing influences of his Iranian home and the exposure he has gained as a young adult experiencing the art education of the western world. There is an open faced freshness in his large scale portraits. He is clear in his enthusiasm and confidence.  He is living the life of an artist, drawing the large personalities of the people around him and he is reflecting faces that are first and foremost human and lovely. The identity, without the knowledge of the sitter’s heritage, is not as important as the bravado with which he embraces the gift of life.

The third exhibition on the summer schedule, Iranian Artist’s Cultural Reunion acknowledges the generational and stylistic differences, gathered under an umbrella that is of pride to them all – Six Weeks of Iranian Art.  This series of exhibitions bridges gaps and opens doors between cultures. It allows our curiosity an open range for exploration by extending a warm invitation into the Iranian culture. And what better place to host than in the world of fine arts!

Julie Oakes

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