16 Jun 2010

CHAN presents Being Visibile - Looking for Contemporary ways of Signification

BEING VISIBLE
looking for contemporary ways of signification

Curated by Aria Spinelli
A project by Aria Spinelli in collaboration with CHAN Contemporary Art Association

June 17th - July 8th 2010 || Opening Thursday 17th of June 2010, at 6.00 pm
Sala Dogana – Palazzo Ducale
Piazza Matteotti 13
Genoa

The exhibition confronts the complex issue of visibility, unfolding in the work of young Iranian artists whose diverse production centers around a flexibility of meaning that can be at times concealed. Visitors are invited to traverse layers of the apparent through multiple lens, some being: alternative histories, mediated political events, and encounters between and amongst cultures. These lens proceed from a viewpoint that is distinct from western constructs but does not exclude them entirely, rather consciously negotiates their forms, contradicting traditional conceptions of 'Iranian' imagery: expanding its scope while making the artists themselves visible.

In the course of recent history, humanity has gone from being invisible to lacking opportunities to hide. We live in a society where visibility, as well as being eternally present, is the fulfilment of the spectacle as outlined by Guy Debord.

New technologies have made every aspect of our lives obtainable in the form of traces of information, while television trans- forms ordinary people into stars on reality shows. Our relationship with visibility has an ambiguous nature, one of anxiety and pleasure. Being visible in a watched world, made into a spectacle, is something that resides between fear and attraction.

The exhibition will focus on the consequences of becoming visible. While in the West appearance is desired, in the East visibility also involves risks. Visibility in an Iranian context assumes facets that have implications which go deep into the roots of the region. Being visible means being public, and in public every person has a duty to act under specific social rules. Being visible for some also means taking fights to the streets, risking their body and showing a different perspective. The many codes of conduct that one must follow under the present Iranian regime, are seen as imposition especially for the younger generations that make up the majority of the population of the country. The search for a freedom of expression often arises from individual needs, and in this case is pursued with a strong sense of responsibility towards the collective. It is through this relationship that artists seek ways and strategies of expression, addressing diverse communities simultaneously while navigating a notion of the sublime of the visible involving both terror and desire.

ARTISTS:

Azin FeizAbAdi - Born in Tehran in 1982, lives and works in New York and Tehran.
FAribA Ferdosi Born in Tehran in 1976, lives and works in Florence.
bArbAd GoLsHiri Born in Tehran in 1982, lives and works in Tehran.
TArA KAboLi - Born in Tehran in 1982, lives and works a Milan.
RAHim miLAni - Born in Tehran in 1981, lives and works in Milan.
nedA rAzAvipour - Born in Tehran in 1969, lives and works in Tehran.
Amirhossein sHAHnAzi - Born in Tehran in 1981, lives and works in Milan.
sHirin sAbAHi - Born in Tehran in 1980, lives and works in Tehran and Stockholm.

Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Saturday 3.00-7.30 pm

The exhibition is made possible thanks to the support of the Comune di Genova – Fondazione per la Cultura and will be hosted at the Sala Dogana of the Palazzo Ducale