As Tensions Rise With Iran, So Does Interest in Art It Inspired – The New York Times
LONDON The Iranian artist Shirazeh Houshiary works out of a luminous studio in a leafy corner of southwest London. Her misty abstract paintings evoke the galaxy, the cosmos, the afterlife. To make them, she floods the canvas with water, pours pigment over it and draws tiny marks over the dried surface.
Abstraction is one of the most sophisticated ways of coming to feeling, like a piece of music: You have tone, color, rhythm, so many things that touch you right inside, she said in a recent interview at her studio, where she tiptoed around in striped socks. I really want to get to the core of what I dont know. And what I dont know fascinates me more than what I know, even about myself.
Ms. Houshiary, who moved to London in 1975, is one of a number of Iranian-born artists to have solo exhibitions in the United States this year. Her show at the Lehmann Maupin gallery in New York opens May 1.
Like many of her peers, she left the country around the time of the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and settled in the West, as political conditions in Iran made it hard for artists to live and work there. While she steered clear of figuration, other artists in exile have tackled political themes by representing veiled women and religious fervor in their work. Among them is the video artist and photographer Shirin Neshat, who is based in the United States and whose retrospective just ended at the Broad in Los Angeles and opens in February 2021 at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. With the animosity between the governments of the United States and Iran now at a peak, these representations are finding a bigger platform in American museums and galleries.
Joanne Heyler, founding director of the Broad, said in an email that when Ms. Neshats retrospective was in the planning stages, she hoped it would lead to a wider reflection on the history of the United States and Iran as well as on the contemporary immigrant experience. She noted that Ms. Neshat, who now works in New York, was initially based in Los Angeles, a city with the largest population of Iranians outside Iran (half a million Iranians live across the United States), and many shared the artists experience of leaving their country around the time of the revolution and the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. The events of that time were seismic and continue to impact global events, yet it is a story not well known by Americans, especially younger Americans.
Ms. Houshiary, who was nominated for the prestigious Turner Prize in 1994, moved to London to escape Tehran the colorless capital that her family had moved to and school, where teenage classmates displayed a sudden thirst for revolution that she did not share. She enrolled in art school and became drawn to minimalist sculpture, and in her degree show, she exhibited an enclosure of darkness and light that drew coverage from The Financial Times. Soon afterward, she signed on with Londons Lisson Gallery. Her best-known work to date is a stained-glass window inside a London landmark: the church of St.-Martin-in-the-Fields, off Trafalgar Square.
The year of the revolution, another future member of Irans artistic diaspora was born in Tehran: Amir H. Fallah, a figurative painter now based in Los Angeles. Because of the political turmoil in Iran, Mr. Fallah had a much more unstable childhood. He grew up at the height of the Iran-Iraq war, when aerial bombings often forced families to take refuge in bunkers stocked with cans of food.
When the family decided to move to Austria, they entrusted their savings to a distant relative who ran off with the money, leaving them stranded for two years in Turkey. We went from middle class to abject poverty overnight, he recalled in a telephone interview.
Settling in Virginia, the family eventually regained its former status. After graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles, Mr. Fallah started exhibiting in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in 2005. His first large-scale exhibition is at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tucson, Ariz., through May 3.
I dont feel 100 percent anything, really, and I feel like Im in a state of limbo, which is fine with me: I think thats where richness lies, he said of his multiple cultural identities. As a dark-skinned Iranian, he said, he suffered racism. A lot of Iranians get a cultural pass because they can pass off as white, but I never had that experience, he said.
His acrylic paintings are decorative and ornate, a bridge between two worlds. For me, its interesting to mash up a detail from a Persian miniature or a Persian rug with a 1980s skateboard graphic, or references to graffiti art or graphic design and pop culture, because thats kind of what I am, he explained.
In his earlier body of work, faces are concealed with a bandanna or a scarf. When you cant see somebodys physical features, then you have to focus on the other things around them, he said. It goes back to my own identity. People are always misreading me because Im dark-skinned. Thats kind of where this comes out of.
Mr. Fallah said the art world was focused on areas its been neglecting, such as African-American and Latino artists, and some of that does trickle down to Iranian artists. But honestly, I havent seen a big boom.
In the international auction world, prices of Iranian modern and contemporary art are not comparable to their Western counterparts. The most expensive work by a living Iranian artist is Parviz Tanavolis bronze sculpture The Wall (Oh Persepolis) (1975), which sold in 2008 for $2.84 million. Other modern artists popular with collectors include Monir Farmanfarmaian, Siah Armajani (who had a show at the Met Breuer last year) and modern masters such as Bahman Mohassess and Leyly Matine-Daftary.
Roxane Zand, Sothebys deputy chairman of the Middle East and Gulf region, said that the early 2000s brought a sudden attention toward Iranian art but that the 2008 global financial crisis led to a market correction. The situation today is more normalized, she said.
She noted a growing gap between artists of the diaspora and those living in Iran, where economic hardship, sanctions and a collapsing currency mean that artists are unable to buy colors or canvases, or to have their work exhibited by Tehran-based gallerists at international fairs.
The Iranian-born collector Mohammed Afkhami who will exhibit works from his collection of contemporary Iranian art at New Yorks Asia Society in October said that when he started making acquisitions in 2005, Iranian art collecting was an exclusively Iranian affair among Iranians.
Today, Iranian artists are represented by top international galleries, and they are in the collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, the British Museum and the Pompidou Center, he said. Yet, we are still in the early stages of that diversification away from purely Iranian patronage, he added.
Read more:
As Tensions Rise With Iran, So Does Interest in Art It Inspired - The New York Times
- Trump: Iran, scared and with defenses pretty much gone, will make nuclear deal with US - The Times of Israel - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Trump Pushes Iran's Economy to the Brink - Newsweek - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Trumps Grand Bargain With Iran Shouldnt Abandon Its People - Foreign Policy - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Iran loosens import restrictions on foreign cars and iPhones, trying to mask its economic woes - ABC News - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- VOA Persian: With no new nuclear deal, Iran to remain under maximum pressure, US says - Voice of America - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Iran loosens import restrictions on foreign cars and iPhones, trying to mask its economic woes - The Associated Press - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Trump says a 'very frightened and nervous' Iran longs for a deal with US | Iran International - - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Iran and Turkmenistan Strengthen Energy, Trade Ties - The Media Line - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- What should a new deal with Iran look like? - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Trump updates Iran peace deal effort to reflect new realities, analysts say - Voice of America - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Opinion | China on edge after Trump makes overtures to North Korea and Iran - South China Morning Post - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Memorandum on Imposing Maximum Pressure on the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Denying Iran All Paths to a Nuclear Weapon, and Countering... - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- AmEx closed 30 accounts potentially tied to Iran's government - Reuters - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Trump says he prefers nuclear deal with Iran than bombing the hell out of it - The Times of Israel - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Iran Makes Threat Over Key World Oil Supply Route - Newsweek - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Iran: Strengthening relations with Saudi Arabia is irreversible - Middle East Monitor - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- 46 Years of tyranny: How Iran's Islamic Revolution betrayed its promises - opinion - The Jerusalem Post - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Iran says its ready to negotiate with US, but not under maximum pressure policy - The Times of Israel - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Trump used decoy plane over fears of assassination by Iran - The Times - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Trump: 'I would like a deal done with Iran' rather than 'bombing the hell out of it' - The Jerusalem Post - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Trump says without Iran deal US could 'bomb the hell out of it' - Israel Hayom - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Maximum pressure on Iran will boost mainstream VLCC demand, broker BRS says - Lloyd's List - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- US vows to keep up Iran pressure if no will shown for deal | Iran International - - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Anniversary of 1979 Islamic Revolution marked in Iran while Trumps policies shake the region - All Israel News - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Iran stages mock arrest of Trump amid reports of Iranian agents in the US - Newsweek - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Iran's president says Trump is trying to bring Iran "to its knees" - CBS News - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Hamas leaders defiant in Iran: Palestinians like olive trees, steadfast in their land - analysis - The Jerusalem Post - February 11th, 2025 [February 11th, 2025]
- Khamenei of Iran Denounces Negotiation With U.S. but Seems to Leave Door Ajar - The New York Times - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Iranian supreme leader vows to respond in kind if US acts on threats against Iran - The Times of Israel - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Iran supreme leader criticizes proposed nuclear talks with US, upending push to negotiation - The Associated Press - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Trump says hes given advisers instructions for Iran to be obliterated if it assassinates him - The Associated Press - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Trump Issues Sanctions on Iran, Threatens to Obliterate It if Hes Killed - Truthout - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Iran's first drone carrier joins the Revolutionary Guards' fleet - Reuters - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- As Trump Makes Overtures, Iran Weighs Its Next Move - Bloomberg - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Iran is willing to give Trump diplomacy 'another chance', senior Iranian official says - Reuters - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Iran daily urges Pezeshkian to respond promptly to Trumps overtures - - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- How Close Is Iran to a Nuclear Weapon as Trump Eyes a Deal? - Bloomberg - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Maximum pressure returns as Iran reacts to Trumps offer of talks - Amwaj.media - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- UN rapporteur urges Iran to halt imminent execution of Kurdish woman - - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Iran has never pursued nuclear weapons, says President Pezeshkian - the voice of vietnam - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Iran Unveils Drone Carrier Warship in Threat to US - Newsweek - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Study debunks nuclear test misinformation following 2024 Iran earthquake - The Hub at Johns Hopkins - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Deep Dive: Syria spillover for Iran moving towards the Caucasus - Amwaj.media - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Trump says he wants to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran after imposing maximum pressure - CNBC - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Iran says verifying its nuclear programme is an 'easy task' - Reuters - February 7th, 2025 [February 7th, 2025]
- Trump Torpedoed the Iran Nuclear Deal. Now Hes Calling for Another One. - The New York Times - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Iran praises US for cutting foreign aid funding as it looks for a Trump message on nuclear talks - The Associated Press - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Iran calls for OPEC to unite against potential US oil sanctions - Reuters - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Denying US and Israel are planning a strike, Trump says he wants a deal with Iran - The Times of Israel - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Sharper: Iran and the Axis of Upheaval - Center for a New American Security - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Donald Trump signals wish to hold talks with Iran over nuclear deal - The Guardian - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Iran says its foreign policy driven by interests after Trump voices readiness to talk - Reuters - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Denying Iran All Paths to a Nuclear Weapon: Trump Reimposes Maximum Pressure Against Tehran - Foundation for Defense of Democracies - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Trump Has a Rare and Short Window to Solve the Iran Problem Heres How - War On The Rocks - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Trump reimposes 'maximum pressure' on Iran, aims to drive oil exports to zero - Reuters - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Trump signs memo aiming to block Iran from achieving nuclear weapon - Reuters - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Donald Trump Reveals Dead-Man's Switch in Case of Iran Assassination - Newsweek - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Trump reimposes 'maximum pressure' on Iran, aims to drive oil exports to zero - VOA Asia - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Exclusive: US 'aware' of reports Iran trying to ship missile propellant chemical from China - VOA Asia - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Trump Restores Maximum Pressure on Iran - The American Conservative - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Shukriya Bradost on the Kurds Struggle in Iran - Middle East Forum - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Iran welcomes Trumps foreign aid cuts as both sides hint at nuclear negotiations - The Times of Israel - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Peace through strength when it comes to supporting Israel and confronting Iran - JNS.org - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Trump says reports hes working with Israel to blow Iran into smithereens are greatly exaggerated - New York Post - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- What a second round of maximum pressure Iran sanctions means for shipping - Lloyd's List - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- US believes Iran looking at potential ways to quickly build nuclear bomb report - The Times of Israel - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Trump pressure on Iran positive for VLCC rates but with lag effect - Lloyd's List - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Iran reformists urge concessions in attempt to reconnect to west - The Guardian - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Iran foreign minister: attacking our nuclear sites would be 'one of biggest mistakes US could make' - Reuters.com - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Iran's new-found pragmatism in the face of Trump - Le Monde - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Trump calls for 'nuclear peace agreement' with Iran rather than blowing country 'to smithereens' - Fox News - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Trump orders Iran to be obliterated if it kills him, but open to meeting its leader - The Times of Israel - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Trump calls for work on new Iran nuclear deal to begin 'now' - The New Arab - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Paul Mauro: Trump is putting Iran back in a box where they belong - Fox News - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- Trump, Netanyahu to discuss war in Gaza, along with Iran, Arab relations - VOA Asia - February 5th, 2025 [February 5th, 2025]
- 2 IDF reservists, one of them in Iron Dome unit, arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran - The Times of Israel - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- On GPS: Is Iran weaker than ever? - CNN - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Bolton: there is no question in my mind Iran may take action against me - MSNBC - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Is Iran inching closer to recognizing Taliban rule in Afghanistan? - Amwaj.media - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Online gold platforms thrive in Iran as economic pressures mount - - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]