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What Has Befallen Us, Barbad? (2002) video
Original Title: بر ما چه رفته است، باربد؟ Total Running Time: 26 minutes Date of Completion: 2002 Country of Production: Iran
Brief Synopsis: Artist’s head with long hair appears on the top of the frame. He is cutting his hair and scattering the locks of his hair all over a white and illuminated surface. At the end, he leaves the frame and the surface with the locks remains.
About: The title, What Has Befallen Us, Barbad?, is taken from a short story by this name written by Houshang Golshiri. In the story, Barbad is a five-year old boy who has witnessed what has been done to his father in the prison of Islamic Republic of Iran. Barbad stops talking and never describes what he has witnessed. Instead of talking, he draws childish but horrifying paintings. My name and my life are taken from this character. The short story itself has a hypotext. In Sassanid period, Khosrow Parviz (the Persian king) had a magnificent horse called Shabdiz. Parviz loved his horse frantically and had said that he will kill any one who brings the news of Shabdiz’s death. Shabdiz dies and no one dares to bring the news to the king. Barbad, The courtier musician, comes and plays so sadly that makes the King ask: “has Shabdiz died?” In my work, Barbad, who is the artist, is mourning what has befallen him and us in a traditional manner. On the other hand, What Has Befallen Us, Barbad? is about Art Praxis: is on my Faustian experience; Selling not just my soul, but also my body. That is why I chose Body Art and I chose myself as the subject of the Praxis. This piece is about exhausting myself with Art, but not for any rewards or exalted goals. It is just because of my addiction; because of the cancer of time: a poor habit. For nothing, if you prefer.
Read Abbas Milani’s Lecture at The Barakat Trust Conference: “Contemporary Iranian Art”, Kellogg College – Oxford University. (2005) related links: www.apexart.org/exhibitions/grumberg.htm http://www.barakat.org/iran_conf/conf_prog.html http://www.apeejaymediagallery.com/Archives_Beams_blue.html http://www.apeejaymediagallery.com/press_new.html#Beams http://www.tehranavenue.com/article.php?id=100-34k http://www.associazionekyo.it/page10.htm www.rhizome.org/thread.rhiz?thread= 12051&text=23214 - 16k - Supplemental Result http://www.exibart.com/profilo/eventiV2. asp/idelemento/22034 http://www.fondazionesegno.it/page16/page17/files/Segno204.pdf. http://www.iscanews.ir/fa/PrintableNewsItem .aspx?NewsItemID=9815 http://www.treibsand.ch/index.php?id=49
Screenings List:
1- Golestan Gallery, Tehran (2002).
2- “Turning points”, Leroy Neiman Gallery, Columbia university School of Arts, New York (2004).
3- “Three weeks with the winners of the 6th Tehran contemporary painting biennial”, Fattima Gallery, Tehran (2004).
4- “Beams of Blue”, Apeejay Media Gallery, New Delhi (2004).
5- “Video Zoom: Beams of Blue”, Sala 1 Gallery, Roma (2004).
6- “Too much pollution to demonstrate: Soft guerrillas in Tehran’s contemporary art scene”, Apex Art Gallery, New york (2005).
7- “The Barakat trust conference: Contemporary Iranian Art”, Kellogg College – Oxford University. (2005).
8- DVD Magazin TREIBSAND [Volume 01]: "Analysing while Waiting (For Time To Pass); contemporary art from Tehran". Concept by Susann Wintsch & Parastou Forouhar, Azad art gallery, Tehran.
9- 'bedün´ ə onvän´ / Untitled Series', part of 'Iran: New Voices', the Barbican Center, curated by Vali Mahlouji, London, UK (2008).
10- 'Nothing Is Left to Tell', Thomas Erben Gallery, New York, USA - solo exhibition (2010).
11- 'Iran diVerso: Black or White?', curated by Nazila Noebashari, Verso Artecontemporanea, Turin, Italy (2010).
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