Its aim is to embrace a wide range of cultural expressions, each contributing to a dynamic mosaic that represents the country's multifaceted realities – realities often overlooked in recent publications. It includes essays that aim to provide multiple perspectives on contemporaneity, plurality and historical context, offering in-depth insight into contemporary artistic practices in Iran and within the diasporas.
The book also includes works by artists, accompanied by texts developing their work and the pieces presented. This section is divided into three categories: “Societal and cultural resonance”, “Fantastic visions” and “Echoes of history”, each focusing on a specific artistic approach.
Image credit: Pooya Aryanpour, Gone with the Wind 2022.
About the speakers
Professor Hamid Dabashi is the Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in New York. He has authored more than two dozen books, edited four, and contributed numerous other chapters. He is also the author of more than 100 essays, articles, and book reviews on topics ranging from Iranian and Islamic studies, comparative literature, world cinema, and philosophy of art (trans-aesthetics). His books and essays have been translated into many languages. Professor Dabashi will join the conference virtually.
Dr Venetia Porter was Senior Curator of Islamic and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art at the British Museum and is currently an Honorary Research Fellow at the British Museum and the Courtauld Institute of Art. She has curated several landmark exhibitions at the British Museum, and her research and publications cover topics from Yemeni history and Arabic inscriptions to contemporary art. His most recent publication is Artists Creating Books: From Poetry to Politics (2023).
Ghazaleh Avarzamani is an interdisciplinary artist whose large-scale sculptures and installations typically involve interactivity and play. She has had exhibitions at the Aga Khan Museum, the Toronto Biennale, the Dhaka Art Summit and London's Frieze Sculpture Park . His works are held in collections such as the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), Rockefeller Center, Arsenal Contemporary, MOCA Toronto and the TD Art Collection.
Dr. Hamid Keshmirshekan is an art historian and researcher at Columbia University. He was a senior researcher at the Khalili Research Center at the University of Oxford; Associate Professor at the Advanced Art Research Institute of the Iranian Academy of Arts; and Research Associate in the Department of Art History at the University of Oxford.
Chair
Dr. Seyed Ali Alavi, co-director of the SOAS Center for Iranian Studies.
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