27 January – 24 February 2011
Al Quoz 3, PO Box 72036
Dubai, UAE
T +9714 3411 367
F +9714 3411 369
www.thethirdline.com
Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian opens the new season with a solo exhibition of new mirror mosaic works. This new series continues to explore the variable arrangement of geometric figures, this time with an emphasis on the physical movement of the shapes
Over the past forty years, Farmanfarmaian has explored, reintroduced and restructured the use of mirror mosaics, reverse glass painting and Islamic geometry creating her individualized technique. Inspired by the symbolism of numbers in Islam, where the belief is that at the core of any geometrical expression is the line and single figure based on the Divine Order of nature laws. This has led her to explore the notion of repetition, pattern and form—found in Islamic art and architecture—creating elaborate combinations of shapes, colour and line. In her latest series, aptly titled the Convertibles, her ornate works elevate this interplay to another level, creating formations that physically can be arranged in multiple variations.
With the detailed intricacies of the cut mirror and her acute sense of modern aesthetics, Farmanfarmaian creates three-dimensional sculptures that challenge the basis of contemporary compositions. In her new work duplicating the selected figure either side by side, or facing each other, yet always connected, Farmanfarmaian creates a series of geometrical formations resulting in a number of kaleidoscopic variations. The negative space created within these formations further manifests other geometric shapes thus creating yet another layer to the work through careful and precise placement.
This exhibition also includes works from her Bisections of a Circle Series recently shown at the 29th São Paolo Bienale in Brazil. Each work is embedded within a circle of 100 cm diameter; however in joining two overlapping circles Farmanfarmaian also references the mathematical concept of the Venn Diagram, which is used to define relationships between two or more concepts containing the possible iterations and intersections of elements. In this manner the geometric forms that are described within the circle—each articulated by a set number of points that touch the outer diameter—are also examples of the infinite possibilities of these works.
Farmanfarmaian has mastered, over the years, principles of Islamic geometry which she has applied to her work and pays homage to a skill initially passed on from father to son, demonstrating her commitment to this craft. The series maintains an equilibrium between intricate ornamentation and minimalism, developing off and adding polygons, rectangles, squares, triangles and other geometric forms.
To this day, Farmanfarmaian remains the only artist who has explored the potential of mirror and glass in this way. Her work depicts a personal journey through geometry, craftsmanship and aesthetics of her country, the result an amalgamation of old beauty and avant-garde appreciation referencing an immaterial yet undiscovered world of endless possibilities, much like in her work.
About Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian
Born in Qazvin, Iran, in 1924, Farmanfarmaian studied Fine Arts at the Tehran University. She was one of the first Iranian students to travel to the United States after World War II where she completed her studies at Cornell University. Having graduated from Parsons School of Design in 1949, she became a Member of the New York Art Students’ League (1950-53).
Farmanfarmaian has participated in a number of national and international exhibitions. She participated in the Venice Biennale (1958, 1964 and 1966), and the first Tehran Biennial (1958). Her works have been exhibited extensively in Iran, the USA, Europe, Qatar and the UAE, and most recently at 29th Bienal de São Paulo, Brazil and Haus der Kunst, Germany. Farmanfarmaian currently lives and works in Tehran, Iran.
About The Third Line
The Third Line is an art gallery that represents contemporary Middle Eastern artists locally, regionally and internationally in Dubai, UAE. The gallery organises non-profit, alternative programs including Kutub, a bi-lingual Arab literature appreciation circle and documentary and feature film screenings.
The Third Line’s publishing sector, Works on Paper, publishes books by associated artists from the region. Books published include Presence by Emirati photographer Lamya Gargash (2008), and In Absentia by Palestinian-Kuwaiti Tarek Al-Ghoussein (2009).
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, Shezad Dawood, Shirin Aliabadi, Slavs and Tatars, Susan Hefuna, Tarek Al-Ghoussein and Youssef Nabil.
Images above:
All three images from the Convertable Series, 2010.
Mosaic mirrors and plaster on wood.
