Souren Mousavi E-Catalog 2014 | Nina Torres Fine Art

SOUREN MOUSAVI | PERSIAM O D E R N H E R I T A G E A Feminist Expression of Persian Culture

SOUREN MOUSAVI | PERSIA

GENERALINFORMATION

Director | Nina Torres

| Executive Director and Chief Curator

CURATOR | NINA TORRES

Duration of the Show | OCTOBER 1- 30, 2014

Location | Nina Torres Fine Art Gallery 1800 N. Bayshore Dr. CP1

Miami Florida 33132

Exhibition Hours | Monday through Friday from 11 am to 6 pm | Saturday from 12 - 5 pm By APPOINTMENT ONLY

FIRST Private View | OCTOBER 3, 2014, from 11 am to 5 pm

VIP OPENING Schedule | OCTOBER 10, 2014, from 7 - 10 PM

Contact Information | 305.395.3599 | Miami 212.537.6807 | New York

973.270.7774 | MobilE

Website | www.ninatorresfineart.com

Email Address | [email protected]

http://www.ninatorresfineart.com

http://www.ninatorresfineart.com

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Souren always starts with drawings, most of which focus on the female figure. For Souren womankind represents beauty, nature, strength, compassion, power and vulnerability. Of course, perhaps most important of all, it reflects her own sense of being. One of her greatest artistic influences is the Mexican surrealist artist Frida Khalo, who mainly painted self-portraits.

Souren is influenced not just by the style of work but by the way Frida lived and the influence she had on the art movement. There is a certain irony in the fact that Frida broke her spine in a bus crash which was to debilitate her for years. Souren started the Modern Heritage Series early in 2010 and in April of that year broke her spine whilst working in her garden. During the following 24 months she was only able to complete 2 canvases and even after that was forced to limit her time in the studio. It is only this year that Souren has been able to complete the series.

Primary sources of inspiration for many of Souren’s canvases are the poetic works of two Persian writers.

The first is Khwāja Shams-ud-Dīn Muhammad Hāfez-e Shīrāzī (Persian: خــــــواجــــــــه شــــــــمسالــــــــدیــــــــن more commonly known as Hāfez. Born sometime between 1325 and ,(محـــــــمد حـــــــافـــــــظ شـــــــیرازی1390 Hafez works are regarded as a pinnacle of Persian literature and are to be found in the homes of most Farsi speakers, who learn his poems by heart and use them as proverbs and sayings to this day.

Hāfez’s poetry is widely respected by Moslems, Hindus Christians and many others religious denominations. His poetry transcends the confines of traditional religion.

The second is Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī (Persian: جــ=>لــدیــن محــمد بلخى), also known as Molavi, and more popularly in the English-speaking world simply as Rumi.

Rumi was a 13th-century poet, jurist, theologian, and mystic. His poems have been widely translated into many of the world's languages and transposed into various formats. He has been described as the "most popular poet in America" and the "best selling poet in the US".

The repetition of lines from both of these poets feature in several of the paintings. The use of Nas’taliq – Persian calligraphy - adds both artistic strength and deliberate storylines to the works. Many of the titles reflect not the words themselves but the meaning they deliver to the images they support. Persian calligraphy is an art form in itself and adds a different dimension to the works.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_language









Finally, in the history of Persia and indeed mankind, the rotation of night and day and the movement of the stars has been an influence for 1000s of years. As far back as the 5th Century B.C. astrological elements such as spheres, orbits, the celestial equator, ecliptic paths etc. were the subject of research and development in Persia. These shapes and motifs feature extensively in early Persian art and undoubtedly influenced the later development of astrolabes or “star mappers”. Such astrolabes were not just used for astronomic scientific purposes but were also used to predict events, define horoscopes and provide “council” to prevailing leaders and rulers. Examples of astrolabes can be found across the Middles East, Western and Eastern Europe, the Far East and Russia.

In her paintings Souren has used the circular shield-like shapes with orbital and circular inlays to represent elements of Ancient and Mediaeval Persian motifs and astrolabes. They reflect time, the passage of history and the influences of science and fate.

With this new series Souren has undoubtedly created pieces that reconnect with elements of her cultural history at several levels; artistic, creative, scientific and historic. Souren has deliberately returned to the base colours of black and white to reflect balance and contrast. The touches of gold and red are added to reflect the on-going fight between good and bad, angels and demons. The gold is also representative of the sun whilst red represents lifeblood. Souren has included modern interpretation with the finesse of historical Persian art work. Although she often uses large canvases she almost always employs historic miniature Persian techniques made famous in the 14th and 15th centuries.

There are elements of conflict throughout the series. Ancient versus modern, hope versus despair, vision versus dogma, nature versus mankind. Souren hopes that each painting will seize the imagination of her audience and bring them closer to her own life experiences as well as her often forgotten cultural heritage.



THE L IGHT BEYOND. 2014 , MIXED MEDIA on canvas, 90 X 90 CMS.


IN CONSIDERATION OF LOVE. 2014 , MIXED MEDIA on canvas, 120 X 80 CMS.


WRAPPED IN LOVE. 2014 , MIXED MEDIA on canvas, 80 X 40 CMS.


TREE OF L IFE . 2014 , MIXED MEDIA on canvas, 100 X 70 CMS.


AURA. 2014 , MIXED MEDIA on canvas, 60 X 50 CMS.


FASCINATING WINDOW. 2014 , MIXED MEDIA on canvas, 100 X 70 CMS.


FARAWAY YOU. 2014 , MIXED MEDIA on canvas, 60 X 50 CMS.


HOMAGE TO YOU. 2014 , MIXED MEDIA on canvas, 100 X 80 CMS.


LOVE IS THE SOUL’S L IFE . 2014 , MIXED MEDIA on canvas, 60 X 50 CMS.


MIND CAN’T TAKE FLIGHT. 2014 , MIXED MEDIA on canvas, 1 12 X 76 CMS.


SELF-EXPOSED WITH L IGHT. 2014 , MIXED MEDIA on canvas, 160 X 130 CMS.


FACING LOST HERITAGE. 2014 , MIXED MEDIA on canvas, 40 X 120 CMS.


WORDS HAVE NO SOUNDS. 2014 , MIXED MEDIA on canvas, 50 X 100 CMS.


Mind Can’t Take FlightDon’t ask me pervades the canvas. There is a realisation of a self-inflicted loss of freedom and recognition that here is no escape from reality. The wings are two-dimensional and are incapable of real flight. This loss of freedom is inherent to her environment and attributable to humanity. But the pure white of her dress, embossed with an emblem of protection adds innocence and grace to her life.

Faraway YouThe words reflect life and the duration of time. The half-turned figure is facing towards the light of the present with the potential for beauty scattered across her torso. There is a transition in her body and an opportunity to bring her culture back from within her own soul. She rests upon the words and perhaps relies on them to carry her into the future.

Tree Of LifeThe tree of life hangs down upon her back with no roots above it. She carries the weight of the world and in the same way as roots take water from the ground the tree takes energy from her soul. Her bent figure feels the burden of responsibility to carry her message to the rest of the world and new growth dresses her skin. The glow of the sun surrounds her and beauty of nature gives solace to her life.

Fascinating WindowA window frame lays out the way to and from the world she knows and the opportunity of freedom. Embossed with broken butterflies it reflects the delicacy of nature and the beauty of existance. The fabric twists and turns to represent all the complexities of life. Fire, love, lust ,passion, power are embraced by the depth and richness of its red colour. Much smaller, the delicate white satin represents both peace and tranquility. It runs the risk of being choked by the other but it’s purity remains strong and unchallenged.

Love Is The Soul’s LifeEverything in life should be based on love. Without it life is meaningless and there is no true existence. The prone two-dimensional figure seems lifeless at the centre of the canvas. The blood of her past permeates the image with hues of red immersed within the blackness. The Persian calligraphy repeats itself reinforcing the underlying message.


Self-Exposed With LightTattooed with the beauty of life both women shy away from the wall of Persian soldiers behind them. One still standing turns away but refuses to hide her face. The other, already twisted in fear lies prone and struggles to escape from the world. Seen through a break in the cloud of time, smattered with golden sunlight the image is almost a dream..

Facing Lost HeritageHer transparent scarf carries the ghosts of her ancient forefathers who march with her. Despite their calling on her she refuses to look back.Her whole body carries the emblems of new life. She is focussed on the cultural symbol that lies before her. She looks to it for hope and inspiration. Behind lays her

past, blown out by the passage of time.

Words have no soundsEmblazoned with the images of new life the woman appears to stand behind elements of her Persian history using them like a shield or perhaps a gate. Do her hands open or close the gate? Does she call out with joy or with pain? Do the shields hold back time or does the gate let the future come rushing in? Does the light shine onto her body or shine out from within it?

Aura The beauty of womanhood lies exposed for all to see. The motif is a representation of a shield giving love and protection to the vulnerable figure. Yet it seems also to shut out the light that would awaken her spirit and cause her to rise up. Thus the aura of warmth and safety may be misleading or even deceiving.

In Consideration Of Love!Her scarf is symbolic of protection. She is still half exposed and reveals her hidden beauty. Without her lies the portent of black and red yet within her is not only light and beauty but a depth of passion strong enough to carry her forward.


The Light BeyondEnveloping herself in the purity of her veil she is asking for the chance to re-engage with her past, to find herself. She has been lost in an age of loneliness. The calligraphy tries to wrap itself around her like a second veil and repeats the “age of loneliness, age of loneliness” but it lies behind her. She looks to the light for guidance, inspiration and a brighter future.

Wrapped In LoveThe girl is wrapped in the intensity of love which protects her innocence and her beauty. Her hands portray her heart and the poetic lines mask her face. Golden fire is held at bay and she keeps herself safe from all that might harm her.

Homage To YouSerenity is the sub-text. Dark shadows loom in the past but light and life adorns her form. A golden temple representing all Gods and all Religions frames her future as she looks out onto the world.

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Souren Mousavi E-Catalog 2014 | Nina Torres Fine Art