TEHRAN-The Third Line Gallery in Dubai, the U.A.E., is hosting two solo exhibitions by Iranian artists Pouran Jinchi and Kamran Samimi.
Having launched on January 11, Jinchi’s works are showcased at the exhibition titled “Fly Like Dandelions” and “Before Nature (I Am Both Created and Destroyed)” is the title of the show where Samimi has put his works on display, Iran Art reported on Wednesday.
Inspired by the New York Times article “Great Climate Migration,” Jinchi embarked on her latest series. The catalyst was the plight of Jorge A., a Guatemalan farmer compelled to flee due to climate change’s impact on agriculture. Jinchi draws from landscapes affected by climate change, such as ghost forests and arid lands.
Using repeated Persian characters for “trees,” she crafts depictions allowing legibility to yield to artistic abstraction gradually. Dots, fundamental in Islamic calligraphy, symbolize an arid landscape, representing lingering memories. Merging traditional calligraphy with abstraction, Jinchi explores perception, reality, and meaning.
Her reflective color palette employs black and grey for devastation and blue for hope. The dandelion, symbolizing migration’s nuanced nature, becomes a powerful representation in Jinchi’s art. The transformed dandelion seed pod drifts across landscapes, echoing the resilience of migrants navigating new paths, much like dandelion seeds dispersed everywhere.
Hailing from the holy city of Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi Province, Jinchi’s early exposure to the symbolic potency of architecture, objects, decoration, and the written word profoundly shaped her artistic sensibilities. This consciousness permeates her body of work, delving into the intersectionality of literary and pictorial narratives.
Trained as a classical calligrapher in Iran, she furthered her art education at UCLA and the Art Students League of New York. Synthesizing diverse training, Jinchi forged her unique artistic approach. Her methodology reflects a creative tension, blending the disciplined control of traditional Islamic calligraphy with the spontaneous fluidity of Western abstract painting.
In “Before Nature (I Am Both Created and Destroyed)” Samimi, inspired by the natural materials defining the region, delves into the ancient stories concealed within the golden dunes of the desert foundation.
Going global, “Small Monuments (2023)” takes on a profound dimension as Samimi unearths stones from significant global locations. Collaborating with visible and invisible forces, he transforms each stone into a canvas, attuned to the wordless language of the natural world. The exhibition’s narrative expands with “Rain Paintings (2023),” a poetic homage to Samimi’s childhood, capturing the soothing nightly rain during challenging times.
At the heart of the exhibition stands the sculpture “Unbroken Column (2023),” crafted from limestone segments, paying homage to ancient religious structures in the region. It symbolizes a connection between ancient traditions and contemporary aspirations, encapsulating Samimi’s exploration and the profound narratives interwoven throughout the showcase in a landscape dominated by glass and steel monuments.
Attracted to the transient beauty of natural elements like stones, wood, pigment, and land, Samimi approaches both his subject matter and materials with a blend of curiosity and reverence. Rooted in a strong sense of place, his artistic process delves into the intricate relationships and tensions between human and non-human ancestors, viewed through the prism of his multicultural identity (Iranian/Norwegian).
Samimi endeavors to establish a sense of balance, considering his work as a gift of beauty to a world grappling with injustice and devastation. His artistic practice is inseparable from his worldview, influenced by the principles of Zen Buddhism and Sufi Mysticism that emphasize a direct connection with the natural world. Consequently, his process is both penitent and whimsical, with his hands moving in harmony with the rhythms of Nature: simultaneously deconstructing and reconstructing, exhibiting control and compassion.
The two solo exhibitions at the Third Line Gallery in Dubai will continue until February 16.
SS/SAB
