In Runner there are two elements:a big painting and a rolled Persian rug. The rug refers to Iran’s cultural history. The travelling tribes used to transport rugs through the desert on camels or horses so that they would always have a comfortable place to sleep and dream. The oldest known rug is from the 6 th century before J.-C. The rugs’ iconography is related to the mythical Paradise garden. The rug used in Runner refers to the idea of moving in space to emigration and the artist’s story. The big picture made of natural materials (red sand and lotus flowers) refers to Aboriginal paintings and their relation to cosmic forces. This big abstract surface is a reminder of both the Australian and the Iranian deserts. As in most of his work, Hossein Valamanesh knits a dialogue between two cultures while revealing the universal character of each of them, and situates the individual at the center of this configuration.
Hossein Valamanesh’s work is often made out of natural material or found objects such as Persian rugs, family photo albums or clothes. He is influenced by Persian poetry and Sufism, which brings a metaphysical questioning related to his personal reflections. He starts from his own cultural story as an emigrant; from his encounter with another culture to question the human condition. When he arrived in Australia he discovered Aboriginal art which made him decide to stay and settle in Australia. Since then, he has had direct contact with these Aboriginal communities interested in the relation between nature and the cosmos.
Though the title might suggest an Adonis, Jeffry Mitchell’s The Swimmer (2012) is a squat, jolly man with a protuberant belly...
“Until the Lions” by Akram Khan Company: What About the Lioness? | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia Articles Bernie Ng Photo: Bernie Ng, courtesy of Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay October 18, 2018 By Jocelyn Chng (1160 words, six-minute read) Until the Lions , a work that premiered in 2016 at the Roundhouse in London, is presented as one of the main (Centrestage) programmes at the 2018 Esplanade da:ns festival ...
Mollie hotel celebrates Aspen’s close ties to the Bauhaus | Wallpaper (Image credit: Photography by Nicole Franzen) By Adrian Madlener published 12 February 2024 Set along Aspen, Colorado’s central Paepcke Park, Mollie is a new 68-room hotel with stylistic nods to the Bauhaus, the German architecture and design school that helped spawn modernism...
Nepali art finds a new home | Nepali Times Nepali art finds a new home – Nepali Times Nepali art finds a new home MoNA is a permanent space for Nepali artists to showcase their work in Nepal itself Shristi Karki January 16, 2021 Museum of Nepali Art (MoNA), a private museum, opened to the public in February 2020...
In Monster (1996-97), the artist’s face becomes grotesque through the application of strips of transparent adhesive tape, typical of Gordon’s performance-based films that often depict his own body in action...
Poised with tool in hand, Jeffry Mitchell’s The Carpenter (2012) reaches forward, toward his workbench...
Citizen X marks the spot for a family treasure none of us can find | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia ArtsEquator Viewpoints Courtesy of The Finger Players March 4, 2021 By Corrie Tan (2,050 words, 10-minute read) Over the course of Citizen X , my father nudges me in the arm several times, whispering loudly and theatrically: “ It’s so similar leh!” All throughout the 75 minutes, he wiggles around in his seat, emitting sighs, laughter, tsk-tsks , and the occasional “wow”...
Almost One by Jeamin Cha dives into an uncomfortable meditation on the relationship between socialization, performativity, truth, and childhood, filtered through the optics of a children’s acting class in South Korea...
Jamie Hawkesworth, Alec Soth and More Sell Prints in Aid of Gaza’s Children | AnOther Featuring work by Camille Vivier, Jack Davison, Venetia Scott and more, Have A Butchers’ print sale raises money for charities protecting children in Gaza November 29, 2023 Text George Pistachio Earlier this month, the London-based, women-led creative gallery space and online concept store Have A Butchers launched an online charity print sale in aid of the children affected by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza...
Mika Tajima’s Pranayama sculptures are built from carved wood and chromed Jacuzzi jets and are presented as artefacts...
Kubra Khademi’s work celebrates the female body and in her detailed drawings and paintings she portrays female bodies floating on white paper...
Paloma Contreras Lomas has frequently used animals as metaphors in her work...
Deferral Archive is one of the archival extensions of siren eun young jung’s Yeoseong Gukgeuk Project (2008-), a decade-long ethnographic research project into the diminishing genre of Korean traditional theater known as Yeoseong Gukgeuk ...