The Middle East is one of the most important places for humankind, as it’s where civilization as we know it was born. Iran is part of everyone’s history, and its artistic heritage is as rich and diverse as its inhabitants. To show how the past and the present meet in the country’s art scene, the LACMA museum is inaugurating In the Fields of Empty Days: the Intersection of Past and Present in Iranian Art on May 6, an exhibition showcasing more than one hundred artworks by more than fifty artists.
“This show is about an art that wilfully blends time and obscures place, rather than conforming to the linear narrative that we associate with traditional art history”, stated Linda Komaroff, curator of Islamic art and department head of Art of the Middle East. “Its goal is to portray ideas of identity, politics, faith, history, and culture that help define the remarkably diverse artistic heritage of Iran as viewed through the lens of time”, she continued.
With a collection of photographs, paintings, sculptures, illustrations, videos, and more, the show will explore how the past and the present intertwine – some artworks range from the 16th century to our present day. Some of the artists exhibiting are Shirin Neshat, Ramin Haerizadeh, Newsha Tavakolian, Siamak Filizadeh, and Shadi Ghadirian, whom have been working for the past years and have become renowned figures within the art world.
“LACMA has one of the most significant collections of Islamic art in the world. And over the last decade, we have expanded our collecting parameters to include contemporary works by artists from, or with roots in, the Middle East, giving us the largest such collection in America. Together, these two collecting areas help to demonstrate the complex and pivotal relationship between historical and contemporary art, making LACMA the ideal institution for a first-of-its-kind exhibition on the past and present in Iranian art”, has said the museum’s CEO, Michael Govan. So, now that you know, be sure not to miss this unique exhibition, on view until the 9th of September.
With a collection of photographs, paintings, sculptures, illustrations, videos, and more, the show will explore how the past and the present intertwine – some artworks range from the 16th century to our present day. Some of the artists exhibiting are Shirin Neshat, Ramin Haerizadeh, Newsha Tavakolian, Siamak Filizadeh, and Shadi Ghadirian, whom have been working for the past years and have become renowned figures within the art world.
“LACMA has one of the most significant collections of Islamic art in the world. And over the last decade, we have expanded our collecting parameters to include contemporary works by artists from, or with roots in, the Middle East, giving us the largest such collection in America. Together, these two collecting areas help to demonstrate the complex and pivotal relationship between historical and contemporary art, making LACMA the ideal institution for a first-of-its-kind exhibition on the past and present in Iranian art”, has said the museum’s CEO, Michael Govan. So, now that you know, be sure not to miss this unique exhibition, on view until the 9th of September.
In the Fields of Empty Days: the Intersection of Past and Present in Iranian Art will inaugurate on May 6 and will be on view until September 9 at LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles.
Early Portrait of Nasir al-Din Shah (r. 1848–96), c. 1850, ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper, 24 × 16 in., Los Angeles County Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by the Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection, gift of Joan Palevsky, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA
Parviz Tanavoli, Lion and Sword III, 1976, Bijar weave, 62 1/4 × 91 in., Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of Hope Warschaw through the 2018 Collectors Committee, courtesy of the artist, © Parviz Tanavoli, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA
Afsoon, Shah and His Three Queens from the series Fairytale Icons, 2009, chromogenic prints, 16 5/8 × 23 1/4 in. each, collection of Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller, New York, © Afsoon, photo courtesy Leila Heller Gallery, New York
Ramin Haerizadeh, He Came, He Left, He Left, He Came, 2010, mixed media and collage on canvas, 78 3/4 × 118 1/8 in., The Farook Collection, Dubai, © Ramin Haerizadeh, photo courtesy Gallery Isabelle van den Eynde
Fereydoun Ave, Untitled from the series Rostam in Late Summer—Revisited, 2009, inkjet print on canvas, 59 1/2 × 39 1/2 in., Mohammed Afkhami Foundation, Switzerland, © Fereydoun Ave, photo courtesy of Janet Rady Fine Art
Kaveh Golestan, Untitled from the series Az Div o Dad, 1976, diffusion transfer print, 4 × 4 in., Los Angeles County Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by Nina Ansary, © Estate of Kaveh Golestan, digital image © Museum Associates/LACMA
Kaveh Golestan, The Shah Left, 1979, printed 2015, gelatin silver print, 24 × 30 in., Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of the Estate of Kaveh Golestan, © Estate of Kaveh Golestan, digital image © Museum Associates/LACMA
Siamak Filizadeh, Anis al-Daula from the series Underground, 2014, inkjet print, 59 × 39 3/8 in., Los Angeles County Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by Kitzia and Richard Goodman through the 2016 Collectors Committee, © Siamak Filizadeh, photo © Museum Associates/LACMA
Siamak Filizadeh, Return from Europe from the series Underground, 2014, inkjet print, 51 1/4 × 51 1/4 in., Los Angeles County Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by Kitzia and Richard Goodman through the 2016 Collectors Committee, © Siamak Filizadeh, digital image © Museum Associates/LACMA
Newsha Tavakolian, Mothers of Martyrs, 2006, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by Nina Ansary, © Newsha Tavakolian, photo courtesy Thomas Erben Gallery
Malekeh Nayiny, All in Pink, 2007, dye coupler print, 47 1/4 × 35 3/8 in., Los Angeles County Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by Nina Ansary, © Malekeh Nayiny
Ahmad Aali, Tehran, 1979, 1979, printed 2017, inkjet print, 40 1/4 × 29 1/8 in., Los Angeles County Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by JoAnn Busuttil, © Ahmad Aali, digital image © Museum Associates/LACMA