LOS ANGELES
Islamic Art Now: Contemporary Art of the Middle East
Islamic Art Now marks the first major installation of LACMA’s collection of contemporary art of the Middle East.
In recent years, the parameters of Islamic art have expanded to include contemporary works by artists from or with roots in the Middle East. Drawing inspiration from their own cultural traditions, these artists use techniques and incorporate imagery and ideas from earlier periods. LACMA has only recently begun to acquire such work within the context of its holdings of Islamic art, understanding that the ultimate success and relevance of this collection lies in building creative links between the past, present, and future.
As the first of a two-part program, this exhibition features approximately 25 works by artists from Iran and the Arab world, including Shirin Neshat, Susan Hefuna, Lalla Essaydi, Mitra Tabrizian, Mona Hatoum, Hassan Hajjaj, Wafaa Bilal, Barbad Golshiri, and Youssef Nabil, among others.
This exhibition is included in General Admission.
The Los Anfeles County Museum Art (LACMA) 5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
MASSACHUSETTS
Solo Exhibition:
Parviz Tanavoli
The Davis Museum at Wellesley College presents Parviz Tanavoli, the first solo exhibition of the Iranian artist’s work by a U.S. museum.
Critically acclaimed and widely acknowledged as the “father of modern Iranian sculpture,” Tanavoli’s trajectory has spanned east and west as he has innovated ambitiously across media. Best known as a sculptor, his expansive oeuvre also includes painting, printmaking, ceramics, rugs, and jewelry. As well, he is a highly regarded collector, scholar, and poet. This exhibition shares the breadth and richness of his work from the 1960s to the present.
Through June 7 with an opening celebration, featuring a 5pm talk with the artist, will be held on Tuesday, February 10 from 5-8pm.
STANFORD
Photography Exhibit from Iranian and Arab World
A major new exhibition at the Cantor Arts Center, She Who Tells a Story, presents the pioneering work of 12 leading women photographers from Iran and the Arab world. The artists explore identity, narrative, representation, and war in daily life, inviting a broader understanding of the Middle East than what Westerners glean through media reports.
The 79 photographs and two videos-a collection of stories about contemporary life-especially refute the belief that women from this region are oppressed and powerless. The exhibition was organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) and runs at the Cantor, its only West-Coast venue through May 4.
The 81 works, created almost entirely within the last decade, range in style from fine art to photojournalism and represent the women’s diverse perspectives. The photographers are: Jananne Al-Ani, Boushra Almutawakel, Gohar Dashti, Rana El Nemr, Lalla Essaydi, Shadi Ghadirian, Tanya Habjouqa, Rula Halawani, Nermine Hammam, Rania Matar, Shirin Neshat, and Newsha Tavakolian.
In Arabic, the word rawiya means “she who tells a story,” and through their work, these 12 pioneering artists collectively portray a region that has undergone unparalleled change and endured continuing conflict.
She Who Tells a Story at Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University 328 Lomita Drive at Museum Way, Stanford, CA 94305, (650) 723-4177
LOS ANGELES
Film About Iranian Dancer Set for April
Indian-origin Hollywood actress Freida Pinto practices choreographed dance moves in suppressed society in the movie Desert Dancer.
The movie centers on a real-life dancer Afshin Ghaffarian (played by Reece Ritchie). The video first shows him as a kid who gets punished at school for dancing in class. Afshin’s passion, however, does not die. He learns dancing from videos of Michael Jackson, Gene Kelly and Rudolf Nureyev, and later creates his own dance company alongside some friends, including Pinto’s Elaheh.
Directed by Richard Raymond, the movie kicked off the opening night of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival at the Arlington Theatre.
Also starring Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Cullen and Marmama Corlett, the film will open in select theatres in the US on April 10 before going wide on April 17.