On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the opening of the exhibition Iran Inside Out at the Chelsea Museum in 2009 and on the first anniversary ofIran Modern, which debuted at the Asia Society in 2013, curators Roya Khadjavi Heidari and Massoud Nader are pleased to present Portraits: Reflections by Emerging Iranian Artists, a groundbreaking group show which will further shed light on, and explore Iran’s contemporary art scene by showcasing work by over 20 young Iranian artists who were raised, educated, and born there. A Press Reception will be held on Wednesday, September 17, 5-6pm, with the exhibition on view through September 29, 2014 at Rogue Space Chelsea, located at 508 West 26th Street, New York, NY 10001.
“Despite all it’s societal and political challenges of the past thirty years, which led the country into isolation, Iran has experienced an artistic revival that has defied all expectation, yet the work of most emerging artists is still unknown in the United States,” say Heidari and Nader. “It is for this reason that we began this project with the hope of bringing awareness to our U.S. audience, and to familiarize them with this new body of work.” The exhibition includes paintings, photography, sculpture, mixed media, and video works by Ahmad Morshedloo, Alishia Morassaie, Arash Sedaghatkish, Babak Bidarian, Bahar Behbahani, Dadbeh Bassir, Hossein Edalatkhah, Jinoos Taghizadeh, Morteza Pourhosseini, Nasser Bakhshi, Samira Alikhanzadeh, Sepanta Ghassemkhani, among others, many of whose works have never before been exhibited in the United States.
With a catalogue featuring acclaimed scholar and co-founder/editor of the bilingual magazine TehranAvenue, Sohrab Mahdavi, the exhibition is sponsored by ArteEast, ArtTable,City Gallery & Framing, Iranian-American Women’s Foundation, Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA), patrons and collectors Anahita Rahimzadeh + Amir Khajehnouri, Rogue Space Chelsea, The Committee, and AKArt Advisory. Currently on the Host Committee are Azita Aghravi, Maryam Ayromlou, Sanam Akhlagh, Negin Baradari, Iman Bacodari, Jeyran Ghara, Marjan Ghara, Tamilla Ghodsi, Laya Khadjavi, Nazgol Saati, and Nassrin Iromloo Zahedi. A panel discussion on September 21 from 4-6pm will feature Anne Barlow, Executive Director, Art in General; Bahar Behbahani, Artist; Layla S. Diba, Independent Curator and Art Advisor; and Mahnaz Fancy, Executive Director, ArteEast.