Golnaz Fathi
Falling Leaves
January 22, 2012–March 7, 2013
The Third Line
Al Quoz 3, Dubai, UAE
T +9714 3411 367
www.thethirdline.com
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Golnaz Fathi returns to The Third Line gallery with a new body of work, Falling Leaves. Using traditional Iranian calligraphy and the epic poem Shahnameh by Persian poet Ferdowsi as a point of departure, Fathi interprets the work through a contemporary lens that breathes new life into an ancient practice and story.
A trained calligrapher, Fathi has the ability to skillfully transform known language into form and composition. Shifting from the stringent rules of the calligraphic discipline, she soon found artistic solace in a new form of expression in her paintings: an imaginary language deeply rooted in Persian tradition while simultaneously hinting at a social renaissance.
This new series revolves around the seminal Iranian text of the Shahnameh as its central theme. The Shahnameh or Shah-nama (Book of Kings) is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 AD and is the national epic of Iran and related societies. The artist relates to the book themes of futile wars as still relevant today in her native Iran, and in the Middle East in general—confirming the notion of history repeating itself.
About Golnaz Fathi
Fathi has exhibited in a number of international shows, including at The Art of Writing, Art Forum of Wiesbaden, Germany (2011); Transvangarde, Contemporary Art from Around the World, October Gallery, London, UK (2011); Ride Like the Wind, Sultan Gallery, Kuwait (2010) and participated in the International Woman Artists’ Biennial, South Korea (2009). Fathi received the Young Global Leader 2011 award and her works are housed in the collections of Brighton & Hove Museum, England; Carnegie Mellon University, Doha, Qatar; Asian Civilization’s Museum, Singapore; The British Museum, London; Museum of Islamic Art, Malaysia; and Farjam Collection, Dubai. She currently lives and works in Tehran, Iran.
Project Space – Sahand Hesamiyan
The Third Line is also pleased to introduce Iranian sculptor Sahand Hesamiyan, the newest addition to the gallery’s represented artists. His upcoming exhibition Sulook, in the gallery’s Project Space, presents ancient concepts of transcendence in an ultra-modern context, with contemporary sculptural pieces taking cue from Islamic architecture.
About Sahand Hesamiyan
Sahand Hesamiyan (b.1977 Tehran) graduated from Tehran University with a BFA in Sculpture. Hesamiyan has exhibited in a number of group shows in Iran, UK, USA, Italy and Mexico since 1999; Solo exhibitions Do You See Me!, Ave Gallery, Tehran (2008), Memory Lives On, Aun Gallery, Tehran (2011); and participated in six Biennials in Tehran from 2005–2008. Hesamiyan’s works are included in Delfina Entrecanales Collection, The Samawi Collection and MAC Collection and numerous private collections. Hesamiyan is a member of the managing board of the 6th Tehran Contemporary Sculpture Biennial. He currently lives and works in Tehran, Iran.
About The Third Line
The Third Line is a Dubai based art gallery that represents contemporary Middle Eastern artists locally, regionally and internationally. In addition to on-going exhibitions, The Third Line hosts non-profit, alternative programs to increase interest and debate in the region.
The Third Line also publishes books by associated artists from the region. Books published to date include Presence by Emirati photographer Lamya Gargash (2008), and In Absentia by Palestinian-Kuwaiti Tarek Al-Ghoussein (2009), Cosmic Geometry, an extensive monograph on Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, edited by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Karen Marta (2011), and most recently the self-titled treatise Huda Lutfi about the artist’s Cairo based practice.
Represented artists include: Abbas Akhavan, Ala Ebtekar, Amir H. Fallah, Arwa Abouon, Babak Golkar, Ebtisam Abdulaziz, Farhad Moshiri, Fouad Elkoury, Golnaz Fathi, Hassan Hajjaj, Hayv Kahraman, Huda Lutfi, Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige, Lamya Gargash, Laleh Khorramian, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Pouran Jinchi, Rana Begum, Sahand Hesamiyan Sherin Guirguis, Shirin Aliabadi, Slavs and Tatars, Sophia Al-Maria, Tarek Al-Ghoussein and Youssef Nabil.
Media contact
Saira Ansari, PR & Media Coordinator: saira [at] thethirdline.com / T +9714 3411 367