This exhibit is amazing. It’s been on view at SECCA since June 22nd and closes October 8th. Heydari was born in Iran but lives and works in Baltimore. This exhibit is all about the relationship of painting to digital technology and darkly showcases the nature of political authoritarianism. Heydari utilizes computer-generated patterns, traditional Middle Eastern motifs, and found photographic imagery found on the internet and archives. The curator likens his works to “digital tapestries.” They are all large in scale and thus impossible to ignore. The works reference all kinds of things, ranging from ancient myth to popular movies to recognizable political figures. Thus, they are so relevant to all kinds of modern and contemporary art, such as Marcel Duchamp’s championing of found objects, Pop art’s interest in popular culture, and reference the art historical canon through usage of mythic subjects.
I’ve rounded up my favorites below to give you contemporary-art interested folks a taste. Disclaimer: I could not have written this without the use of the labels. This exhibit really drives home the amazing work curators do in making contemporary works accessible to viewers, even ones like me who have a degree in art history.
Shooting the Edge, 2017, acrylic on canvas, 108 x 24 inches; Taha Heydari
To give you a sense of the scale, this work takes up an entire wall space in the Potter Gallery. It is from the vantage point of a gun holder as seen from the body cameras utilized by terrorist groups for recruitment videos, as well as by police in the United States. In the videos, a Go-Pro camera is attached to the top of the gun, likening violence to a video game aesthetic. This work is timely in pointing out the disturbing fact that violent games such as Call of Duty are played by young boys, early on numbing them to the visceral reality of war. The chaotic middle ground of the painting brings to mind a sense of the nature of battles and explosions. The painting further references technology through the pixelated patterns and sense of static that recurs throughout the work. Interestingly, the artist also inserts beautiful pinks and yellows in the left middle portion of the work. They could signify blood, the hues and shapes could merely be breaking up the dark colors that occupy most of the painting, or could signify a hope for peace in the future.
The Museum, 2017, acrylic on canvas, 115 x 84 inches; Taha Heydari
This work calls attention to the nature of museums. The museum room here is filled with portals, neon lights, a geisha, an ancient kneeling figure, plants, and a display case. These figures are in the space, but not fully. It calls attention to the fetishizing aspect of museums in displaying objects once used in daily life in an entirely different context. Everything is jumbled and nothing seems to belong. This could also reference the chaotic nature of modern life as a result of all of the technology that sometimes seems to control our lives. The neon lights could reference work made by artists such as Dan Flavin or the banal nature of their usage in other institutions.
The End, 2017, acrylic on canvas, 72 x 96 inches; Taha Heydari
This work references the final scene in Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, displaying the cliche of the cowboy riding off into the sunset, arguably a modern myth of sorts. I love the sketchy aspect of this work and how Heydari left parts deliberately unfinished. Showing viewers blank canvas is an aspect painters began to employ in the modern era in order to directly reference the nature of painting, in direct opposition to the mimetic works that dominated the art world for centuries. The figures remind me of the works of Clyfford Still through their dark hues and shapes. Still sought to create works that were timeless through referencing the sublime and nature. I also love the blue squares that fade out and almost dissolve, perhaps calling attention to the way movies dissolve on the screen when they change scenes or, for lack of a better word, end.
Cronus, 2017, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 60 inches; Taha Heydari
Cronus, also known as Saturn, is the Greek mythological god of the harvest. Ancient philosophers associated him with time (Chronos). This painting utilizes imagery from Peter Paul Rubens’ Saturn, Jupiter’s Father, devours one of his sons (1636-1638). The portion of the hand of Cronus gripping his son is shown amid pixelated patterns and black space. The top left corner features command script. The way Heydari cuts off the head of the baby and inserts broken lines makes me think of the anguish of this moment. This disturbing image is rendered even more so by the cold computer script.
The National Day, 2017, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 72 inches; Taha Heydari
This painting references days celebrating national heritage and their pageant-like aspect through inclusion of helicopters and confetti. Heydari finds the notion of these days as ironically divisive in their inherent separation from other countries and subsequent creation of an Other through the borders of nations. This is arguably strengthened through the news, both on television and the computer. This is likely referenced through the pixel patterns on the confetti. This painting is entirely disorienting, and the faceless figure is eerie.
So there you have it! Despite the dark aspect of many of paintings, they are very beautiful and the inclusion of the brushstroke in many of them (hard to pick up in photographs) is lovely. If you are ever in the area in the near future, you should absolutely stop by before this exhibit goes down. I am definitely going to miss it.
Artful Living: Food for the Body and Soul 