Relevancy
Curators: Alireza Taghaboni, Saeed Ahmadian, Amir Najafi
One can view the world as a network of interconnected elements. From this perspective, we may reflect on how these elements relate to one another. A particular aspect of this relationality is the connection between an artistic work and the conditions under which it was created—conditions shaped by a multitude of historical and contemporary influences.
In the event titled “Relativity,” we have invited seven prominent contemporary Iranian artists to share their intellectual journeys and the paths they have traversed through lectures and presentations of some of their projects and works. The central idea of the event revolves around the following questions: How does each artist engage with the contemporary state and the encompassing conditions they inhabit? How does each artist’s perspective on Iran intersect with the historical artifacts and events that have influenced the present? What aspects of the current situation do they illuminate and bring to the forefront through their work?
To explore these questions, we will listen to each artist’s lecture and familiarize ourselves with their ideas. After the monthly lectures are completed, the presentations will be analyzed to uncover connections between the artists. In other words, can we identify similarities and commonalities in their themes, viewpoints, and their engagement with contemporary conditions? Can analyzing and categorizing these similarities and differences enhance our understanding of both art and our current situation simultaneously?
The outcome of this series of events will be published as a book containing the lecture texts, post-lecture discussions, images of the artists’ works, and final analyses of the entire collection. Although none of the participating artists are architects, their approaches to contemporary issues and their perspectives on these issues may offer valuable insights for the architectural community, which is always engaged with history and the present.
“I view the changes and events in the city from various perspectives and strive to demonstrate the connection between social, political, and economic issues, which shape the background of daily life, and seemingly insignificant events. For this reason, I often focus on urban changes, and it is these changes that become the subject of my work.”
In the first session of Season One of Relativity, Nazgol Ansari Nia, a conceptual artist, will discuss her intellectual project and the path she has traveled through a lecture that introduces some of her projects
Speaker: Nazgol Ansari Nia
Date: January 21, 2022
Time: 16:00
Host: Morvarid Ghassemi
Curators: Alireza Taghaboni, Saeed Ahmadian, Amir Najafi
In this session, Iman Afsharian, along with Bavand Behpoor, will discuss how they relate to the contemporary state and the encompassing conditions in which they live. This is the second session of Season One of the Relativity series.
Speaker: Iman Afsharian
Date: February 18, 2022
Time: 16:00
Host: Bavand Behpoor
Curators: Alireza Taghaboni, Saeed Ahmadian, Amir Najafi
Majid Barzegar, in the third session of Season One of Relativity, will discuss his approach to contemporary issues and the perspective he has developed in relation to them. In this session, Arash Heydari, a sociologist, will share his views on how Barzegar’s works relate to contemporary conditions.
Speaker: Majid Barzegar
Date: Saturday, April 21, 2022
Time: 18:00
Host: Arash Heydari (Sociologist)
Curators: Alireza Taghaboni, Saeed Ahmadian, Amir Najafi
“On the other hand, the topic addresses generational experience, particularly my generation: ‘We didn’t start understanding from history, or at least, it can be said that historical thinking was a very minor topic for my generation or for myself.’ My generation read novels or, at most, tried to elevate our level of thought through philosophy. For me, it took a long time to realize that I needed to refer to contemporary history.”
In the fourth session of Season One of Relativity, conceptual artist Azadeh Akhlaghi will be the guest. Alongside the host of the session, Alireza Taghaboni, she will discuss how her perspective on Iran is intertwined with historical events and how these events are made visible through her projects.
“The essence of photography is fundamentally about ‘confrontation,’ but in this confrontation, there must be something that makes you feel that this subject [confrontation] can become a photograph. Of course, I believe that because photography transitions from a three-dimensional object to a two-dimensional representation, the certainty of the photograph is not absolute. To put it simply, in Pamenar, I was searching for nothing; the question was how I could show this ‘nothing’ to you through the language of photography. I think ‘wandering’ is the most important element that photography brings with it; I am loyal to ‘wandering’ in photography…”
This is an excerpt from Mehdi Vosoughnia’s lecture, hosted by Rozvan Rohbakhshan in the fifth session of Season One of the Relativity event.
Speaker: Mehdi Vosoughnia
Date: August 12, 2022
Time: 18:30
Curators: Alireza Taghaboni, Saeed Ahmadian, Amir Najafi
The sixth session of the Relativity event was held on September 9, 2022, at the Contemporary Architects Association, featuring a lecture by Shahrayar Hatami and hosted by Iman Afsarian. Mr. Hatami, a painter and researcher, initially introduced a few examples of his work and then elaborated on a project titled “Hidden in Plain Sight,” which was exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art. In this project, Mr. Hatami researched how Persian miniaturists used geometry to create their works from the 8th to the 11th centuries, explaining how they employed the geometry of their time through various layers of a miniature.
During the session, Mr. Afsarian, also a painter, discussed different models of image production. From the perspective that Shahrayar Hatami’s work deals with image rather than art, he engaged in a dialogue with Mr. Hatami.
Speaker: Shahrayar Hatami
Host: Iman Afsarian
Date: September 9, 2022
Time: 18:30
Curators: Alireza Taghaboni, Amir Najafi, Saeed Ahmadian
In the final session of the first season of Relativity, Reza Abedini will discuss his lived experiences, his approach to contemporary conditions, and his perspective on the interrelation between history and art history. In this session, Amir Naseri will share his views on the relevance of Reza Abedini’s works to contemporary conditions.
Speaker: Reza Abedini
Date: May 12, 2023
Time: 17:30
Host: Amir Nasri
Curators: Alireza Taghaboni / Saeed Ahmadian / Amir Najafi