Fereshteh Setayesh
Audio of the Entire Interview
Interview Transcript
Part 01
Interview with
Fereshteh Setayesh
Part I – Life
I was born in 1338 in Shemiran in a relatively rich family. My father was a very cultured man. He was a man of learning. I can say that he played an effective role in choosing how to live my life in the future. We lived in an old house in Darband with a beautiful environment so I was lucky that I used to see the beautiful architecture because I grew up there. I was in the vicinity of nature. I always heard the sound of the river stream and when I looked around in the morning, I would see the mountain. These are the memories that still occur during my work or my life events, and I fully understand the mood and flavor of the place I grew up.
- How many people were there in your family?
Well, I have two types of siblings. Blood-ties and half-ties. One brother and one sister, two half-brothers and two half-sisters.
- That was a crowded family then, wasn’t it?
We didn’t live together. I was living in a low-population family and I was the youngest member of my family. When I was a kid I was interested in poetry and short stories. Because my family bought books for me, and from childhood, I mean from the time I learned the alphabet, they bought books for me as a gift. Books for children. Those books, and the cookie converting to a human and its adventures are in my memory. And maybe it was again a blessing that I could get familiar with literature and books basically from childhood.
When I became a little more literate, I started writing short stories and poetry. And naturally I read those for my dad. My father enjoyed so much and loved what I wrote and encouraged me to write. He always asked me, “Haven’t you written anything this week?” One day he asked me, “What are you going to do in the future?” “What are you going to be?” Well, I thought at that time, Attorney is a great and suitable job for me so I said, “I’m going to be a lawyer.” He took a look at me and said, “I don’t think Attorney goes with your spirit. Don’t you think it’s better for you to be a painter?” I said, “I’ve never thought about it.”
This happened when I was ten. You or at least those who are the same age as me can remember that the photos of Shah and Prince and Farah were on the first pages of the books such as Persian literature, mathematics or whatever, at the school. My dad immediately opened one of my school books and put the prince’s picture in front of me and said: “To know how much you have this passion, how much you like painting and how capable you are, draw it now. And I did the same thing on the paper at the moment and showed him. Dad liked it and shook his heads; he rarely talked. That was a spark for me to have many things to say in the fields like literature or painting. It seemed as if my spirit matched more in these fields and directions.
I wasn’t a very sociable child at all. I was not interested in childish games, in children’s groups with the same age children full of noises. Most of my childhood hours, I can even say, were spent with my own loneliness with being beside garden, water stream and the nature surroundings.
I went to neither the Conservatory nor the University of Painting for painting. Any of these fields couldn’t be my fields of study for some reasons. When I was in high school I taught for a short period of education. I was teacher of the first grade. That was an interesting experience, as well. Consulting my father, I decided to go to a foreign country to continue my education, so my family decided to send me to Germany because my brothers have lived there in for a long time. I was still not seriously thinking about painting. I was still in a confusion to find my way. After revolution, I went to study in Germany. There, I began to spend language courses to prepare for the university.
Unfortunately, at this time, although I cannot judge whether unfortunately or thankfully because this might be a better way, war began and we had to return. Then, the borders were closed and I couldn’t be there anymore. On one hand, Iran universities were closed, on the other hand, nobody is doing any activity. We stayed behind as a bewildered generation who do not know what to do and how to spend time, what’s the way towards the future. I’d found out more that, well, I should think about something dealing with my soul, in fact, a searching soul that was always searching. So now, how can I make this soul so happy and satisfying? Most likely, I can’t do this with academic and math lessons. So what’s the way? Yes. A feedback related to the childhood period that the father spoke about. I had a short course of my own free painting. And I got familiar with the world of painting.
I got familiar with color, the music of color indeed. I got acquainted with painting through the short courses I saw. And I found this as the best thing for my spirit. Imagine that now is the time of the war. All universities are closed. The professors either have gone or do not work any later or at least I don’t know them. According to the advice of one of my friends in the first professional training course, I went to work at one of the Tehran’s studios, opposite the Shahr Theater, named Golabetoon Atelier. And there, I was very happy about the days that passed and I learned something. I thought to myself what a beautiful way I chose for myself and how much I got free from lots issues. As if I had to do the same. It finally happened I mean I could finally find out what to do. Then that class, that atelier was closed due to the professor’s travel.
- Who was the professor?
I think Mr. Mohsen Salehi. I can’t remember right now because it was a very short period. I can tell you it was almost two months. And during two months, he decided to get out of the country and again I thought what I should do now. By chance, I heard in that class, Mr. Aghdashloo is teaching in a class around Valley-e-Asr crossroad. I was naturally looking for a teacher to continue. One day I made an appointment to meet him. I understood that he was teaching in a class next to Diana cinema atones of the alleys of Shahreza street. I went to see him and found him very affable, and in any case he began to teach me. I worked with him for about three years.
I always believed that I should work under the supervision of different professors. I never relied on working with a professor. Always the sense of searching made me motivated to see what else was happening elsewhere and never be impressed by a professor. I went to other places like Konkour Atelier, to get acquainted with the professors there. I met Mr. Jafari. Well, I could see another work style. I realized that I had to try other places. All of this was by accident on my way. At the house of a friend who was also a painter I met Mrs. Parvaneh Etemadi, and I thought that it would be better to go there and see what I acquire there. I went there for six years. Apprenticeship was over; we became and stayed friends and in touch with each other. I showed my artworks to her to know her ideas about them. All these trainings were on one side, but I had a great professor. I had a great master and that master was “hardworking”. Drowning in the work. And if we don’t jump into the ocean, it’s not possible to be able to open the curtains and everywhere becomes clear and bright. No professor can teach you like this.
In 2000, I went to Germany again and settled there. According to the advice of the owner of one of the galleries, Mrs. F. Cawood, I took my artworks there for one of the largest and the most famous galleries in the city because they were Art Center. My works were seen by the judges and they realized that my works were at such a high level that I could be one of the members of the City Painters Association. It was in Göttingen harbor. A meeting was held and I participated in that meeting. My artworks were judged again and finally I was accepted as a member of this group. It was very informative and interesting for me to collaborate with them because I saw them so civilized and kind that I had never seen this behavior in my own country before. We had to get together once or twice a week. We should keep each other informed about what we were doing.
- Here they hide themselves!
Yes, yes. Unfortunately, they hide themselves here and violate each other. Nobody accepts the others. You cannot trust at all, whether anybody’s opinion is without prejudice or not. I had three group exhibitions with them in Göttingen, Düdienstark and Höckstrom. Fortunately, because I wanted to have a job there besides painting and earn money, I would rather talk to the gallery manager and he suggested that I could be his assistant, and since my field of study was German language, I didn’t have much trouble. The task that was given to me was that when the exhibition was held, I would explain to the audiences. But again, because of my mother’s illness, I had to go back to Iran, so I couldn’t go out of Iran anymore and said “I must finish my work”.
Part 02
Interview with
Fereshteh Setayesh
Part II – Artistic Activity
My first group exhibition was held in the 1367 in Seyhoon Gallery. Then every other year, we had group exhibitions, and then in the 1370s, I set up a solo exhibition that got away from the things that I learned from my professors. Gradually, I began to make and follow my own mind strategy and work.
Since 1370, continuously and freely, without actually having any teacher or master, I’ve started my own dig and exploration through painting. And finally, after 16 years of painting, I slowly moved away from Realism and wanted to work more freely. It was not so easy to start this stage. It was very difficult as when you want to come out of Realism style and try to work Abstract, there’s a lot to be done. The work must be done very well to be acceptable even for the painter herself. Of course, it depends on the painter and that whether she confines and satisfies herself or is satisfied with her depth of thought.
This was a very difficult stage like changing a shell actually. And I changed the shell and I did it by Collage. I had a philosophy for myself. I thought every single human is a Collage in this universe. We are several pieces in the different corners of the world that stick together. We get in the way of each other and we’ll be sewn together as if we’re plugged in somewhere. Maybe we didn’t have any connection at all. We live Collage. I looked from this angle, and started my collages using pictures in them. Pictures were about the nations and humans. Different nations and people who live in different climates with different destinies and various types of traditions, customs and methods they follow in this world to survive. It was very interesting for me.
And then, I would put their images and the kind of print I myself did together. Next, I brought my photo, my mother’s and the photos of the people I didn’t know together in a collection and linked them. It was as if my mission was to link and sew these photos together. In many places, I used a technique in collage that seemed I used sewing. I did this via heating. When I was reviewing my own works, I realized that I was very interested in, for example, linking the opposites together. I was keen on creating a phenomenon that did not have its own primary property and was a new one indeed. In fact, it goes away from that stereotypical meaning. I mean I take the stereotypical meaning of the motifs and their original contents and give them new ones again. They pass through my mind just once.
- What message does your creature have?
Having message is a little bit cliché. We are always searching for message, motto and something to squeeze in people’s head…. Let’s go back to myself and see why I did and why I do this. Why would I like to put pieces together? To think that these pieces have not already been there, or it is the first time that …. Maybe others did it before. But those people are for those people. They put pieces together from the angle of their own view. Or they choose what things should be besides each other. But my choice is my choice. And with this choice, I’m coming to the conclusion that I am very interested in making incoherent or inconsistent things united and creating unity in them. It was my wish. This is my willing in a period of my work.
My work schedule is not so certain and determined. In the morning, I never get up in order to start painting. If painting calls me, I will paint otherwise, I will not do anything about it. We live together in peace. It may happen from time to time. I may start painting when everybody is asleep. I don’t know what time. I may just take an hour to see what might happen. I may just sit in front of my work for four hours. It looks at me, I look at it. Whether talk with each other, or not. It wants to communicate or not. The thing I learned was patience. You need to be patient in this job.
– Can I ask you how long it took to complete the painting behind you?
I think 2 months.
An exhibition is going to be held in the new year. I was waiting for it a long time. I was waiting for it to complete its sleep. I sat a lot to see what changes were made. Because the materials had completely changed comparing to my previous exhibitions. I was totally dealing with new materials. And they were completely unknown to me. Always in such changes, you must be very cautious and calm. Since the artwork needs to reach a kind of maturity and perfection. It must be treated with full patience and attention. The amount and size of these materials are very important because it is very fragile and sensitive. I waited for three years, until they showed me their changes and their stability and durability due to coldness, heat and humidity. And that was a lesson for me, as well.
I participated in foreign exhibitions more as I told you before. Most of my activities were in Germany. Last year, I attended an art fair in Italy in which my artworks has been taken into consideration. And one of the greatest Italian journalists, Rino Cardone, wrote a critique for my works. He did this for my recent exhibition, as well. In fact, we are working together like that right now. Most of my activities have been there actually.
- What about domestic exhibitions?
About domestic exhibitions, I had group exhibitions rather than individual ones except the one that was in the year 1391. From that year until now, as I told you, I’ve been working on the project I’m currently involved with.
I think creative minds are the ones that welcome imagination. They are allowed to fly imagination. Everything we hear or see in the moment, it goes into our subconscious mind. And when we are silent, working or we are alone with ourselves and in our own quiet corner, we link to our unconscious mind. Now, whether it is knowingly or unknowingly participating in your presence, it’s not very quantifiable at that moment. It can’t be measured. Sometimes I may like some artworks I see. Maybe they have an influence on me. In nature, I see things that affect me in a different way. The biggest part of creativity, in my opinion, is that it gives the person the courage to follow what is in the human mind and looks uncommon.
The creativity gives this courage to her to reach the imagination abyss. And in the imagination, she visualizes a world that can really be. For example, Jules Verne’s sci-fi works seemed to us too unlikely, impossible, abnormal and uncommon. But later, we found out that many of the things displayed in the movies based on his stories were actually practical. And in my opinion, the artist has always had this opportunity and trust to be able to manifest her own imagination and those imaginations later turned into a reality. That’s why she is a step ahead. Even scientists are sometimes behind the artist. Why? Because she sees something with her imagination provided the scientist can find just a way for achieving it later.
- What was the first artwork you considered as the most successful one and you said “Bravo” to yourself for creating it? And when was it?
The artwork that was sold in one of my professor’s atelier and the professor said, “You can sign your work instead of me. Sign my name below it.”
- Who? Where?
I cannot say all my secrets!
- At least say the year or the place.
It was 1368 or 1369.
- In Iran?
Yes.
- Do you have any picture of that?
Not that one. As somebody came and bought it and left.
- Was it your most successful artwork?
Definitely, for that age, it was very important that the professor said, “You can sign my name below it.”, or “You paint, I will sign.”
Part 03
Interview with
Fereshteh Setayesh
Part III – Artworks Features
The main feature of my works is actually acting at the present moment. Being in the moment. I don’t have any plan and schedule before painting. When I go through the work, I make a relationship with it, then a conversation happens and it sometimes starts acting. Then I withdraw from the work and just watch it. Sometimes I can give it some small directions, but it runs impromptu very often and there is no possibility to repeat it again. Because that moment is for just that moment, and even one day later it’s not that moment. So I’m not the one I’ve been before. As the saying goes, water flows through a river only once.
And one of the features I have in my work is that I look at my work for a long time. Maybe I look at work for a few days because somewhere it must talk to me. I sit so silently and listen to what it says. And if I hear it, everything will be done. Now I should take an action. It must allow. You have to ask it to tell you where to do and whether it’s the exact time or not.
In my new series, I use yarn and thread. Instead of line, I wrap my work and make some combinations using yarns and threads. I do not use lines this time, but my threads and strings are my lines. Why yarn? Why thread? Haven’t we dealt with yarns and threads throughout our lives? Haven’t we seen carpet loom? Haven’t carpets been under our feet? Aren’t they made from knots? Aren’t the carpets made up of knots? Yarns? Threads? Who would make these more? Women? Yes, women. So, it’s a feminine labor despite its violent materials. Perhaps these types of materials are deliberately chosen because women have the ability to create a sense of softness and solidarity alongside violence. They knot. And knot. And knot …. And I knot.
The lines and threads cross each other. Sometimes they pass next to each other. Sometimes they cut each other. Don’t these happen in our lives? Haven’t we gone some routs and paths besides each other? Haven’t we cut off each other? Haven’t our knots become separated? So I’m living the job. I learn how to live from working. I got many unknowns through my work. Since I have to grapple with the task, I learned how to deal with life’s struggles. I learned patience as well as modesty through working.
- Can you tell me how you choose your subject?
Subject chooses me actually. While working, I touch something or I do some activity, I realize that this move can end somewhere to something else. That means it can be pursued, followed and expanded. Then I’ll go forward with her. And I see, I see some images that can be done with this method. In fact, the subject calls me. The subject appears.
Human being is the main concern of my work. You know, I don’t put human here and say “This is human being”. I’m using tools to show human problems visually and tangibly in such a way that everybody can see and understand them. When I use those lines and threads and when they cross each other, they resemble human beings to me. These are the tracks of the course of the lives of people who are passing along. People. People who were someday among us but not now. Did they move parallel or crossover? Or did they cross over and over again or only once? While working, I think that I’m just a kid here, and I want to be entertained. I want to tell whatever I want. No one has anything to do with me and I have nothing to do with anyone, as well. The world is my world. It’s mine. I’m not going to answer someone. So I am free. I am relaxed. I can dance with my work. I can do whatever I want on it.
Because there is always a kind of search or curiosity in my work, sometimes when I go where I work, my atelier, I don’t think I’m a painter. Maybe I’m a scientist or someone who is studying about chemical researches or problems. It seems I’m working in a laboratory. I want to see what will happen as a result of my behavior and the materials I work with. I’m looking for the coming event. I’m testing somehow. I always see myself as a tester.
Then there will be a lot of surprises. Suddenly, I see what outputs there can be. Every output can have a world. Then, when I want to go back, I look back at the time when I got it out and whether this output works at this moment. So, I collect some resources for myself. When I want to start working, I go for my resources as they are in my unconscious mind. I was combining things together for several hours and days to see how it works. Now, why do I evaluate the work? Why do I test it? Why do I measure its strength? Why do I determine its durability? Because I want my artwork to be powerful.
If it shows its weakness under my hands, it will be defamed under many other eyes. The artwork must be respectful and honest. That’s why I test it and evaluate its tolerance. When you think it’s done, I do not think that it’s finished and I’ve worked on it so hard; I am ready to destroy it.
Few days ago, I saw a page (on the internet). One of the painters displayed his artworks for others to see and comment on. Well, one of his works had executive bug, he would not have to deal with any other proportion or practice and its proportions or methods did not fit in with others at all. When we asked him, he answered “Yes, this is one of my artworks that I don’t like much.” I am stunned. I wonder. When you don’t like your own work, how do you expect others to love it? How do you show it? In fact, a painter’s artwork is her admission. Her artwork can obviously show the integrity of her culture, understanding, wisdom, conception, life style and the way he deals with his surroundings because it is his confession. That’s why I say an artist’s artwork is her credit. For this, an artwork should have stamina and high quality.
- The medium you use or the materials you’re working with are special things or not?
What do you mean by “special”?
- For example are they all on the canvas or wood or…?
Sometimes wood. Sometimes copper, aluminum, glass, plexi glass. Sometimes cloth or raw fabric like silk. Everything.
- Do you listen to music while working?
Definitely. It is impossible without music.
- Can’t you work (without music)?
It’s not pleasurable (without music). It doesn’t have the pleasure it should have.
- Do you name your paintings and artwork?
After finishing them. When I stare at them.
- How do you choose the names?
From the connections and relationship I find with them. From the association they create for me.
I really liked to do my artworks in large sizes on the wall. I wanted to paint the wall paintings. It started right when I said that “Well, now we have no walls, so we make a wall for ourselves, and then I tried to turn my canvas as a wall on large dimensions. And now this is my wall. I think neither who ordered me nor where it is to be. From now on, I want to do what can be done on the wall. Eighty percent of my viewers and audiences realize that they see different things at different angles and gaps. From a distance, they see one thing and when they get closer they see something else. This gap always makes them see different plans and discover a lot of things. They look once, then, they turn their head back and suddenly say, “I recognize it now. It wasn’t there before.” “This is now the shape. This is now the form.” “This is now the face of a woman.” It’s because of being and not being and the layers of work.
These layers are on one another. In fact, we ourselves are layered. In a way I’m talking about ourselves, human being having many discoverable points and one should not judge at a glance. We should give ourselves opportunity to look attentively. I want my audience to look closely and not to judge fast.
Once, one of my friends came to visit my exhibition. She watched all my artworks in two minutes and stood beside me talking. I asked her if it was finished. She said yes. I told her, “How unfair you are. I worked two years for creating them and you looked only at two minutes!”
- Have you ever hesitated how to proceed in the middle of your work?
Strongly. And what horrible moments. It’s too horrible. Seeing the empty space, the canvas itself is too frightening. Then it’s very difficult when it doesn’t work somewhere. It is breathless that at that moment you finally need to tell it “ Oh, dear friend let’s cope with each other.” “Either you give up or me. I never give up so you do. You have to accompany me.”
Part 04
Interview with
Fereshteh Setayesh
Part IV – The Relationship between Art and Life
The reason why I paint as I said before is that I learn things in this abyss
and this work process, and I consider it like a conduct and a very pure
and prominent behavior. And since I believe that we should always be
careful about the many negative forces and evil things in our
surroundings that are disturbing us. And we must try to be powerful and
strong against them so that we can fight with them, at least for our
survival. The survival that we want to uplift, not just to live. So I think one
of the basic things a contemporary human needs to look for is to find
means by which she can increase her inner powers against disorders.
Regardless of this, work is both joyful and enlivening. It’s quite
auspicious. In fact, it lets us live our own souls for some moments, and
this isn’t a negligible blessing. It’s so great. It’s a real gift. This part of the
reason is related to my personal look towards what I’m doing. The other
part is because I was always so curious and playful. I think this
playfulness should always be kept. The things that keep a person alive
are sense of humor, playfulness and seeking. A search that shows
human being hasn’t been over yet.
The other part is that you’re making a move in the moment you live. I’m
not talking about an eternal artwork- as I never thought of these thingsbut you can be a breeze. And this breeze may grant prosperity, joy,
sympathy and identification to someone else to lead people to think that
there is a person who could see and feel like them. Or they can love and
have a relationship with such an artwork and this is not a worthless
thing. And they are good motivations for a person to devote his life for it.
It’s very painful for a musician to play a piece when his musical
instrument is not tuned. Why? Because there aren’t any balance factors
and any harmony. It’s the nature of music and when it is separated from
its nature, it will become an abnormal thing. And we have lots of
disorders and abnormality. And maybe our work somehow subtilizes
these abnormalities for us. We depend on it. We work.
Perhaps you don’t think this action works in the direction of the
community, but one of its most important things is to modify these
abnormalities factually. We try to continue living in spite of these
abnormalities and can get some kind of acceptance. Of course, it’s not
surrender but an admission that makes us able to take action for a
change. Even lets us have a kind of manipulation. Of course, no one will
order us even ourselves. But because it is our spiritual need, it happens
unwillingly. Art must be for meeting this need and I think it behaves with
human being exactly like that especially with someone who is engaged
in it.
– If you wanted to have an artwork – other than your own- and
make it yours, which one would you choose?
Among foreign works?
– It doesn’t make any differences.
I really wanted to make one of Marcel Duchamp’s artwork my own.
Life affects work and work affects life. I mean I got so many unknowns
through my work. I reached the point that I’m not very decisive for many
things. I’m not at all the center of the universe. If I do not exist, the sun
rises and sets as well, so I’m not very important. I got to joke and humor.
I have come to realize that life is an illusion. It’s a joke. When people’s
level and style are elevated and they look from the above and higher
levels many of their concerns seem like a joke. It seems they are toys.
We should be amused by them. I wanted to make myself busy and
amused with these things.
– How can you make a balance between life and painting?
Very well. I can do all my life day-to-day activities and work on painting
as well, and I use all the energies of both for each other. They help each
other. I communicate with different people at different levels. I have no
bias towards anything. Somebody who is religious, or irreligious or Laic,
somebody who is artist or not. It doesn’t make any difference to me. I
pay attention to the essence of mankind.
– What are you doing other than painting?
Cooking. I like cooking very much.
– That’s it?
Not exactly. I have other things. I meditate so much. Perhaps this is the
most important thing I want to do. When I have nothing to do, I want to
spend most of my time like this. I also read books. I teach as well.
– Where? To whom?
To my private students.
What type of music do you listen to?
I often listen to fusion music. I have no bias towards anything. Maybe for
a moment I would like to listen to an Iranian music exactly what young
people are listening to these days. I may listen to a very mystical music
at one time. I listen to fusion and world music more. For example Bach. I
like Bach very much. Bach music is very weighty and it is compatible
with my mood and spirit. I like Stephan Micus too. And also Ravi
Shankar. I’m fond of Kalhor’s music. Keyhan Kalhor.
– Who do you like from painters?
From Iranian painters you mean?
– No difference.
What a difficult question! I like Joan Miro’s artworks. Also Paul Klee and
Rauschenberg. Maybe Joan Miro more than all.
– What would you be if you weren’t a painter?
Narrator. Anyway, I really liked reading the book or reading the texts so
much.
Part 05
Interview with
Fereshteh Setayesh
Part V – Artist’s Vision
I am Iranian. And in Iran, we do not have any lacks of knowledge and
information about mysticism and meaning. We have very rich resources
in this area. And since I’m Iranian, I have to understand these because it
happened in my homeland. All these happened at this particular place.
Being Iranian does not mean you write a script into the painting. This
baseless and idle thing is going to be common just because a single
script is shown on the surface, on what occasion and in what way and
root, nobody knows…. It’s not clear that I’m creating an Iranian thing or
buying an Iranian thing as a buyer? No. Being Iranian is not like this.
Being Iranian is what you were engaging in and what you were involved
with in this particular climate during your life. How did an Iranian artist
behave? What type of person was she? How did she create her
artwork? In a pure humility, in a serenity, in peace, away from all these
noises, away from all these melees and chaos, away from money-centric
and reputation-centered situations. We see those miniatures we have,
with that style, that patience, that calmness and nobility, as an Iranian
artwork feature, actually one of the features. About the Iranian carpet
that we see. About weaving these carpets. How much do we know
carpet designers? How famous are they? In which Biennales did they
attend? Which awards did they get?
We did not pay attention to Iranian essence but to Iranian elements. We
paid attention to the Cliché that means being Iranian. We decide to
present a series of calligraphy as an Iranian art to the world, without
knowing where to use this calligraphy and where it should be. We never
think where the real place of painting is, where the real place of
calligraphy is and how they should be mixed and combined together. We
create something that is in fact a plumber called calligram and being
Iranian. Since we decide to introduce Iranians like this. Definitely, it
doesn’t work. There is one thing that if we follow it, we can have
something to say and it is if we grab our originality without gesturing and
reach the simplicity and the delicacies that belong to Iran, its culture and
its art then we can have something to say. We can have our own words.
Not imitative and not jerry-built words.
– Can I ask you “what is the relationship between Modernism and
National Identity?”
Modernism, not only in Iran, but also in many developing countries, has
done devastating games with the national identity of regions and
climates and we Iranians are not exempt from this story. I can say that
modernism, after a while, fell out of its excitement, and became a big
deal for the ones who caused this flood in the whole world. The world
now concludes that after these destructions, after iconoclasm, after
rejecting all these factors, it needs to be away from tradition and the
things rooted in people like religion and tradition. And when this
happened in Western world, it also affected rapidly on other places in
the developed countries. This story itself created a dilemma for those
who even caused this movement to the very moment that we see again
the world is trying to regain its identity. The people of the world see a lot
of things lost and this feeling makes them to lose their own reliance and
trust. They are lost, indeed. Today human is lost and is searching for her
identity. The pressure of this problem is much greater for us and for the
countries like us because we do not go through a number of issues yet
and but live the imposed modernism. In fact we are lost twice.
And what can help us is another review to what we’ve missed and the
things that considered as red lines for us when we are told they are not
fashionable. Only by reviewing, revitalizing and getting the positive pints
we can revive our national identity. You see, when you look at a Gabbeh
or a Gelim, you can recognize so many motifs of the modern art in them.
We have painters who are not Iranian but use the same motifs as our
paintings and carpets in their own artworks like Matisse and so on. So, it
depends on the visual look and knowledge of the painter who can use
traditional motifs in a modern arrangement. They are not in conflict.
In my opinion, in Iranian art, I can say that film and music are much more
advanced than visual arts in the world. The development of these two art
fields has been more and more significant than visual arts. There’s a
radio in each house. And we usually listen to Iranian music celebrities
and use it. We use these arts. We go and watch movies. Even if Iranian
families are not used to going to cinema, they will go to watch a film
released from a popular director. But this never happens in the visual
field. That is, one of the essential elements of our people is not visiting
an exhibition. If you go to a gallery you can see there are always a few
people who participate in each gallery repeatedly. The artworks should
come out of the galleries. They must be distributed across the city. The
students should exhibit their artworks in the parks. This art should be
more tangible for people to deal with. Painters themselves can also play
an effective role in this case as people say: “we are stuck in traffic, we
don’t have enough time yet we bring ourselves to the exhibition. Then
we look, we understand nothing. We wish we didn’t come at all.”
– We face three generations as you said. Would you please
analyze their features?
The first generation or our generations were those who truly tried to use
their abilities and do their best in spite of the limited facilities. But
whatever we get ahead, we see more possibilities, but that love, that
search is diminishing unfortunately. New generation thinks Rome was
built in a day . They are looking for a crosscut. The gratitude of previous
generations is no longer in the current generation. They are unaware
that they are standing on the stage that got prepared before by previous
generations for them. They must always be indebted to their own
pioneers because they have achieved something with the least facilities
in the way that they can now rest under their shades, become famous,
or sell their artworks.
If a few students are in front of me and I want to talk to them, I’ll start
with a question: why do you tend to start this art? Why painting? Why not
something else? It’s so important for someone to know about the job and
work she wants to be busy with. What does he expect from it? How does
she see it? Does she know where here is? Does she know how much
she needs to cherish and value or he comes just to have fun? Or in a
different way?
– What is the best advice you have ever had?
I was recommended not to have illusion. Let’s not have any illusions at
all. Yes…. That was the biggest advice I received.
When there’s such a great creativity, it’s sometimes hard for me to say
that we created.