|
Nastaran
Safaei
Thirty
Perhaps
the
main
motive
for
holding
this
exhibition
was
developed
in
me
when
I
was
on
the
verge
of
turning
thirty.
To
me,
turning
thirty
means
mental
maturity,
alteration,
stepping
from
one
stage
into
another
and
eventually
reminds
me
of
the
story
of “Simurgh”,
inspired
by a
mythical
Iranian
bird
of
the
same
name,
meaning
thirty
birds.
In
the
original
story
written
by
“Attar”
(a
renowned
classical
Iranian
poet),
a
number
of
birds
decide
to
fly
to
the
highest
point
in
the
universe
(Ghaaf
Mountain),
in
search
of a
supposedly
sovereign
bird
called
“Simurgh”
(in
Persian
Si
means
thirty
and
murgh
means
chicken/bird).
After
a
lot
of
pain
and
endeavor,
only
thirty
of
the
birds
survive
the
passage,
who
then
see
their
own
reflection
in
the
water
and
realize
that
Simurgh,
is
in
fact
themselves
all
together
as a
team.
The
idea
behind
this
installation
was
that
achieving
goals
should
not
mean
reaching
the
final
point
of
the
path,
as
goals
are
in
fact
the
checkpoints.
After
arriving
at
each
checkpoint,
you
should
set
yet
another
goal,
fly
again
and
reach
the
summit
of
other
mountains.
If
birds
stay
still,
they
will
eventually
decay
and
dwindle.
In
the
past,
the
word
“Murgh”
could
refer
to
birds
of
any
kind,
regardless
of
gender,
but
in
the
present
time,
it
is
associated
with
a
pre-packed
chicken,
sliced
or
as a
whole,
available
in
supermarkets
and
ready
to
be
consumed.
A
decorated
bird
with
its
feathers
plucked,
headless,
aimless
and
incapable
of
flying.
Simurgh
dining
table,
thirty
birds
standing
in
bronze
plates,
colorful
and
embellished,
looks
like
a
runway
of
models,
showing
off
their
ornaments
and
bijouterie.
I
was
still
under
the
impression
of
the
word
Simurgh,
when
one
day
I
bought
a
whole
chicken
to
cook.
I
was
cutting
the
chicken
into
pieces
when
suddenly
found
myself
slaughtering
a
creature
so
cruelly
and
so
indifferently.
While
looking
for
the
reason
why
I
felt
like
this,
I
imagined
myself
wearing
a
white
wedding
dress
in a
ritual
ceremony
sacrificing
thirty
birds
as a
symbol
and
allegory
of
transition
and
change
into
a
new
stage
of
my
life;
turning
“Thirty”.
Nastaran
Safaei
Born
in
1984,
Tehran,
Iran
Education:_2004
Associate
Degree
in
Graphic
Design,
Sooreh
University,
Tehran,
Iran_2001
Diploma
in
Graphic
Design,
Naghshe-Kowsar
Art
School,
Tehran
Iran
Member
of
the
Association
of
Iranian
Sculptors__Solo
exhibitions:_2014
Sculpture
Exhibition,
AB
Gallery,
Lucerne
,Switzerland_2014
Sculpture
Exhibition,
Etemad
Art
Gallery,
Dubai,
UAE_2012
Sculpture
Exhibition,
Etemad
Art
Gallery,
Tehran,
Iran_2010
Sculpture
Exhibition,
Etemad
Art
Gallery,
Tehran,
Iran_2008
Sculpture
Exhibition,
Assar
Art
Gallery,
Tehran,
Iran_2008
Painting
Exhibition,
Iranian
Art
Museum
Garden,
Tehran,
Iran_2004
Painting
Exhibition,
Iranian
Artists’
Forum,
Tehran,
Iran__Selected
Group
exhibitions:_2015
"There
are
too
many
walls
but
not
enough
bridges",
Kunst
Zeug
Haus
,Switzerland_2015
"Contemporary
Venice
-
Architectures
of
Identities",
Palazzo
Dolfin
Bollani,
Venice,
Italy_2015
"Contemporary
Venice
–
Self
Identities",
Venice
Palazzo
Ca’zanardi
and
Venice
Art
House,
Venice,
Italy_2013
"Tehran
calling
London
-
London
calling
Tehran",
London
print
studio,
London,
England_2013
"Self-Musement",
Egreg
Art
Studio,
Tehran,
Iran_2013
"Excuses:
a
group
effort",
Villa
Kuriosum,
Berlin,
Germany _2012
"America
the
Beautiful",
Aaran
Art
Gallery
,Tehran,
Iran_2012
"Mise
- en
–
scene",
Etemad
Art
Gallery,
Dubai,
UAE_2011
"6th
International
Sculpture
Biennale
of
Tehran",
Niavaran
Cultural
Center,
Tehran,
Iran
_2011
"The
Undone",
Mohsen
Art
Gallery,
Tehran,
Iran_2010
"Maakous"Sculpture
Exhibition,
Shirin
Art
Gallery,
Tehran,
Iran_2009
"Small
Sculptures",
Exhibition
of
the
Association
of
Iranian
Sculptors,
Iranian
Artists’
Forum,
Tehran,
Iran_2008
"Maakous"
Sculpture
Exhibition,
Gallery
10,
Tehran,
Iran_2007
The
Second
International
Poster
and
Computer
Animation
Competition
"Anti
Aids",
Ukraine
_2006
The
Second
World
Biennial
Exhibition
of
Student
Poster,
Novisad,
Serbia_2006
"Maakous"
Sculpture
Exhibition,
Assar
Art
Gallery,
Tehran,
Iran
_2005
"The
First
Iran
Biennial
of
Typography
Poster",
Iranian
Artists’
Forum,
Tehran,
Iran_2002
"Sculpture
and
Painting
Exhibition",
Art
Gallery,
Tehran,
Iran__Other
Activities:_2015
Presented
at
Scope
Art
Basel,
Switzerland_2014
Two
months
Art
Residency
in
ORYX
Foundation,
Lucerne/
Switzerland._2014
Presented
at
scope
Art
Basel,
Switzerland_2013
One
month
Art
residency
in
Villa
Kuriosum,
Berlin,
Germany
_2013
Presented
at
Iran
Heritage
Foundation
Auction,
London,
UK_2010
Presented
at
"Slick"
Art
Fair,
Paris,
France |
