Relevancy
Curators: Alireza Taghaboni / Saeed Ahmadian / Amir Najafi
Meaning is produced through the relationships we establish between various things. The significance of anything depends on the network of relationships that surround it. In the first period of the “Relevance” events, we discovered that all seven invited artists pay special attention to “research” in its various forms. Additionally, “absence” and “working on a moment of reality—whether a significant historical moment or an everyday, invisible moment”—are approaches these artists use to engage with their circumstances.
In the second period of the “Relevance” event, we place greater emphasis on the here and now and ask the seven contemporary artists how they connect themselves to this present moment.
Each of these seven artists will share their intellectual projects and the paths they have taken through a lecture and by presenting some of their works in relation to the posed question.
In the first session of the second event of the “Relevance” series, we will examine the meanings constructed in Mehran Mohajer’s works through the relationships between artworks and various elements, with an emphasis on the here and now. This session will feature Hadi Azari, who will present an review of Mehran Mohajer’s intellectual project from his own perspective.
Speaker: Mehran Mohajer
Date: October 20, 2023
Time: 17:30
Host: Hadi Azari
Curators: Alireza Taghaboni / Saeed Ahmadian / Amir Najafi
Shahryar Tavakkoli (photographer) will discuss the concept of “not photographing” as part of his response to the contemporary situation in the second session of the second season of “Relevance.” This session will be hosted by Mehdi Vosoughnia.
Speaker: Shahryar Tavakkoli
Date: December 15, 2023
Time: 17:00
Host: Mehdi Vosoughnia
Curators: Alireza Taghaboni / Saeed Ahmadian / Amir Najafi
What should a filmmaker do if they go blind? This question served as the starting point for the third session of the “Relevance” event.
At the beginning of the session, Mohammad Shirvani closed his eyes and continued to engage with the audience in this way until the middle of the event.
Speaker: Mohammad Shirvani
Date: May 10, 2024
Time: 18:00 to 20:00
Curators: Alireza Taghaboni / Saeed Ahmadian / Amir Najafi
“Decay” is a negation; the negation of stability and permanence. It represents a departure from the existing state, involving a transition from one condition to another and symbolizing a transformative revolution that dismantles the status quo. It embodies the physics of transformation—changing one form into another, one state into another. It is temporal, rebellious, and tumultuous. It opposes history and memory, extending into actions and thoughts. It is Janus—an image facing another image; being oneself through another. Awareness of decay continually pushes its boundaries backward because time, driven by an encompassing force, is unknown and unstable. Behind every change, there is an explosion of actions and reactions. It is also the center of the intersection of forces, a black hole that pulls every force into itself. It entails a gradual and serene falling and decline, a continuous path of collapse and cessation, followed by a resumption over time. It includes the gradual reduction of functionality and internal cohesion of structures.
In Roman mythology, Janus was the god of doors, gates, passages, and entryways, as well as the god of beginnings and endings. The most prominent legacy of Janus in modern culture is his namesake, the month of January, which is the first month of the year. This naming reflects how each new year begins with this month, just as the previous year ends with it. Janus is often depicted with two faces or two heads, one facing forward and the other looking backward.
Speaker: Hamid Jaberha
Date: July 6, 2024
Time: 18:00 to 20:00
Host: Sohrab Ahmadi
Status: Open for Registration
Curators: Alireza Taghaboni / Saeed Ahmadian / Amir Najafi