A Humane Concern KOOROSH SHISHEGARAN PROFILE Twists, curves and vibrant colours characterise this Iranian artist’s work that is centred on the human condition. Myrna Ayad and Mojgon Davari meet Koorosh Shishegaran in Tehran and discuss the figurative within the abstract and vice versa. T he city of Qazvin, Northwest of Tehran, is dotted with archaeological sites and remains from its seat as the Safavid Dynasty stronghold, and it is here that Koorosh Shishe- garan’s story begins. The celebrated Iranian artist smiles as he narrates the incident that spurred a four-decade career in art: it was in the early 1950s when a friend showed him a drawing that he had made of a deer jumping over a rock. Stirred by the image’s simplicity, the young Shishegaran ran home to draw a portrait of a family member. “My father took one glance at my drawing and recog- nised his cousin,” laughs the artist. “That was the start; it was the motivation that I needed to begin my career.” Born in 1944, the eldest of six siblings was raised in a family whose primary concern was to make ends meet. “Deprivation sharpens the eye; it means experiencing great pleasures from simple things,” explains Shishegaran. “A childhood in such an atmosphere entails floating in many colourful dreams.” From a young age, he worked with his father, a skilled self-taught artisan who helped famil- iarise his son with different materials and methods – a proficiency which proved useful in Shishega- ran’s later years. “I was fascinated with anyone who had a skill in something; it didn’t matter what the profession was,” he says. “Whenever I saw a good blacksmith, I wanted to be a blacksmith. Whenever I saw a good carpenter, I wanted to be a carpenter and so on.” Growing up against the backdrop of the 1953 Iranian coup d’état and its repercussions in an under- privileged home meant that Shishegaran’s parents were preoccupied with daily struggles – a concern that worked to his advantage. “There was a kind of unawareness then, and looking back, I realise that this actually served to my benefit,” he recalls. “Besides, I was so passionate about art that my parents eventually had no choice but to support me.” The family moved from Qazvin to Tehran and Shishega- ran joined the School of Fine Arts in 1974, where he completed a Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design alongside classes in sculpture. After graduating, he taught sculpture at the Fine Arts Female High School in Tehran for three years, an experience he felt was an extension of his artistic practice. “I was a graphic designer, a sculptor, an architect and a painter,”he says. “I tried my best to be creative in everything I did.” 104 PROFILE Opening spread: (Detail) The Man Behind the Table. 2006. Digital print on canvas. 130 x 130 cm. Image courtesy Khak Gallery, Dubai/Tehran. This page: (Detail) Untitled. 1992. Acrylic on canvas. 130 x 160 cm. Image courtesy Khak Gallery, Dubai/Tehran. 105 PROFILE Art for the People dominately figurative, the later part of the dec- Throughout the 1970s, Shishegaran experi- ade saw Shishegaran create art posters that mented in various media – from painting and were focused on social and political issues as graphic design to posters and script-based tensions rose across the region. In response to the works and more – each presented a different Lebanese Civil War, he created a silkscreen post- style and distinct message. The common de- er in postcard size entitled For Peace in Lebanon. nominator among all was a desire on his part to While Shishegaran intended for it to be a message make his art accessible to the public, but more for peace, the method by which he communi- importantly, to reflect the public. “I always felt cated this strengthened the statement altogeth- that the main cause of a sense of detachment er: he mailed the postcard to numerous political between people and art is art’s inaccessibil- and social centres and in doing so, became a ity,” he explains. “Art should not be something cultural activist. “I knew I was in danger for creat- decorative limited to a wealthy man’s wall.” One ing these posters,” laughs Shishegaran, who had strand of Shishegaran’s multimedia practice saw also created an image that featured a pen to him rebel against the boundaries and restric- imply freedom of speech. Between 1977–79 tions of Modernism by incorporating traditional his work reacted to the seismic political, This page: Persian motifs in his re-appropriation of works economic and social shifts in Iran that culmi- Untitled. 2011. Acrylic on canvas. 160 x 130 cm. © by Modern Masters such as Picasso and Mon- nated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi monarchy Koorosh Shishegaran. Image courtesy Opera Gallery. drian. Using a limited palette, he derived spe- and the instalment of an Islamic Republic led by Facing page: cific elements from the original paintings, fused Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. “When the people (Detail) Untitled. 2000. them with his own style and exhibited them in were revolting in the streets, I felt I had to be in- Acrylic on canvas. 130 x 130 cm. © Koorosh various venues in Tehran in 1976. volved too,” he explains. “Whatever I created was Shishegaran. Image courtesy Opera Gallery. Aside from paintings, which were pre- all for the people, all for peace.” 106 PROFILE Shishegaran, like many of his peers, has always been concerned with the hu- man condition. He sided with the people – a concept he took further by design- ing and producing furniture with the help of his two brothers. The project, Art for Production, saw the Shishegaran brothers implement the skills they had learnt as children from their father, to create chandeliers, wardrobes, armchairs, tables and chairs. “I believe everything surrounding us, even in our own homes, is tied to art,” he says. With the onset of the Islamic Revolution the project was halted, though Shishegaran intends on exhibiting some of these design pieces that have stood the test of time. “There was always instability, tension and volatility,” he muses. “You never knew when things would explode and I got used to creating work in such a “There was always instability, tension and volatility. You never knew when things would explode and I got used to creating work in such a heated environment.” 107 PROFILE “In a sense, I draw what is lacking. I am describing a situation that exists but I am telling the story of a situation that doesn’t exist.” 108 PROFILE This page: (Detail) Portrait. 1997. Acrylic on cardboard. 70 x 50 cm. Image courtesy Khak Gallery, Dubai/Tehran. Facing page: (Detail) The Table. 1997. Oil on canvas. 130 x 130 cm. Image courtesy Khak Gallery, Dubai/Tehran. heated environment.” In the early 1980s he stopped creating his posters too, but after over three decades, Shishegaran presented one, For Peace on Earth, to London’s Opera Gallery that staged an exhibition in April featuring the work of 55 Contemporary Iranian artists. The poster is based on his painting of the same name, also presented at the show and which, for Shishegaran, represents hope. “There’s a bright path on Earth, which, after many twists and turns, ultimately gives birth to the white flower of peace,” he says. Leaning on Lines As the Iran-Iraq war raged for eight years and witnessed Shishegaran’s drawings influenced by the conflict, his art moved towards the classical, featuring still-life paintings of flowers, fruit and portraiture. It was during this time that he began abstracting figures by incorporating lines and diluting forms to emphasise asexuality – this was and still is Shishegaran’s focal point: “They are neither male nor female. They are emblems. They are simply humans,” he stresses. One may be 109 PROFILE “Iran is a global metaphor for the human condition.” forgiven for assuming that the lines allude to calligraphy, especially in pieces such as The Man Behind the Table from 2006 and a yellow, black and white untitled piece made in 1992. “At the heart of [Shishegaran’s] work, there lies a fascination with the possibilities of calligraphic line,” notes British art critic, curator and author Edward Lucie-Smith. “The lines he creates are in theory abstract, but his images often have a figurative core.” Another central theme to consider in Shishegaran’s practice is the analysis of the invisible within the visible – though his paintings present an ab- stract expressionistic aesthetic, they are also a cathartic rendering of contem- porary socio-political issues. “There is a constant interplay between what is ob- 110 PROFILE served in the external world, and what is generated without reference to that world,” notes Lucie-Smith. “It is the oscillation between the two realms that engages the spectator – his paintings are first one thing, and then another.” For decades and in response to his surround- ings, Shishegaran has sought to give form to societal challenges through his abstract works. “Instead of painting the actual disastrous inci- dent, I create very odd lines, forms and twists that reflect my own internal problems as well as those within my society,” he explains. “In a sense, I draw what is lacking. I am describing a situation that exists but I am telling the story of a situation that doesn’t exist.” This explains his energetic brushstrokes in vibrant shades – an expressive visual language of swirling lines, sharp colours and a play on light and shadow. The twists and turns of rigorous bands of col- our, rendered three-dimensionally, are central to his oeuvre and recall his proficiency in graphic design. “With colour, I am able to define the painting’s tone,” adds Shishegaran. The linear curves, animated tones and themes dominat- ing his artworks take their inspiration from Iran, which in turn, feels the artist, is representative of disorder all over the world. “There is chaos everywhere and the movement in my work symbolises this chaos,” he explains. “Iran is a global metaphor for the human condition.” in interest in Contemporary Iranian art in a very This page: (Detail) For Peace on Earth. hopeful way,” he smiles. “I’m happy for those who 2013. Acrylic on canvas. Leaps and Bounds received international attention and I’m also re- 180 x 180 cm. © Koorosh Shishegaran. The art scene in Iran changed with the instal- lieved that the ‘hype’ has subsided.” Image courtesy Opera Gallery. ment of Mohammad Khatami as President of the Throughout the years, Shishegaran has Facing page: Left: (Detail) Portrait. Islamic Republic in 1997. His two-term reformist experimented with other genres, combining 1992. Oil on canvas. 70 x 70 cm. Image courtesy Khak rule witnessed a flourishing of Contemporary art, photography with his abstract swirling lines. “I Gallery, Dubai/Tehran; during which time institutions staged exhibitions always wanted to try out new things – from mu- Right: (Detail) Red Miniature. 2006. Acrylic in Iran and the country’s art was presented inter- sic and poems, to cinema and writing and more, on canvas. 130 x 160 cm. Image courtesy Khak nationally at galleries and auctions alike. Though all of which are sources of inspiration,” he says. “I Gallery, Dubai/Tehran. Shishegaran had participated in international ex- just wish I had enough time on my hands to do . hibitions over the years, his art received greater them all!” acclaim with the Christie’s Dubai sales that have witnessed his works achieving at least double For more information visit their presale estimates. “I’m looking at the rise www.kooroshshishegaran.com 111
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