Asia Society Museum hosts Rebel, Jester, Mystic, Poet: Contemporary Persians—The Mohammed Afkhami Collection, an exhibition of works by more than 20 Iranian-born artists and one German-born artist, reflecting a dynamic and thriving contemporary arts scene. The exhibition, illuminating the multifaceted experiences and identities of artists spanning three generations who are working inside and outside of Iran, probes subjects such as gender identity, war and peace, politics and religion, and spirituality.
Drawing from the collection of financier and philanthropistMohammed Ehsai, Monir Farmanfarmaian, Shadi Ghadirian, Mohammed Afkhami, the exhibition comprises paintings, sculptures, photographs, and videos. Of the 23 participating artists, over a third live in Iran, over a third live outside of Iran, and five live in New York City.
Drawn from the Mohammed Afkhami Collection, “Rebel, Jester, Mystic, Poet: Contemporary Persians” presents works by more than twenty artists from Iran and its diaspora. Revising traditional aesthetics and probing subjects such as gender identity, war, peace, religion, and spirituality, the works, which date from 1998 to the present, are realized in a variety of mediums, from painting and sculpture to photography and video installation.
Artists in the exhibition include Shiva Ahmadi, Morteza Ahmadvand, Parviz Tanavoli, Shirin Aliabadi, Afruz Amighi, Nazgol Ansarinia, Mahmoud Bakhshi, Ali Banisadr, Parastou Forouhar, Rokni Haerizadeh, Khosrow Hassanzadeh, Shirazeh Houshiary, Y.Z. Kami,Timo Nasseri, Shirin Neshat, Parviz Tanavoli.
This is the exhibition’s first presentation on the East Coast of the United States, following its premiere in 2017 at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada, and subsequent showing at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The exhibition is on view at Asia Society Museum from September 10, 2021 to May 8, 2022.
Founded in 1956, Asia Society is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, educational institution based in New York with state-of-the-art cultural centers and gallery spaces in Hong Kong and Houston, and offices throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.Founded in 1956, Asia Society is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, educational institution based in New York with state-of-the-art cultural centers and gallery spaces in Hong Kong and Houston, and offices throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.