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- Artist Name:
- Mehri Dadgar
- Location:
- Iran
- Statement:
- I believe art has the power to be a cohesive force in our troubled world. In my art, I explore the relationship between East and West, and these interactions sometimes result in harmonious blends or stark contrasts. Both can be illuminating.
My paintings of the past two years have been a blend, or hybrid, of Western and Middle Eastern influences; I am incorporating certain elements of ancient Islamic art (color, pattern, form, arabesque, calligraphy and miniature painting) within the context of a contemporary Western abstract style. Alternatively, I sometimes have Western elements intrude upon a predominantly Islamic art context.
The mathematical basis of Islamic art creates a systematic, peaceful space even in very complex designs, and is ever-present in Islamic architecture, illustration, music, and calligraphy. My research into the origins of Islam and Islamic art has informed my own work, particularly in my use of abstract shapes, geometric design, and the repetition of organic forms.
There is a need in our world for us to embrace our common humanity and to realize that all people need to be free to believe as they wish. An essential aspect of that freedom is the freedom not to believe as well, for that is basic to any concept of universal human rights. I as a practicing Muslim have recognized that the God described in the Quran is the same God described in Old Testament, New Testament and some other religion books based on Monotheism.
The paintings appearing in my current exhibitions celebrate the universal God of infinite love and mercy. They emphasize the joy and oneness of God in all of our faiths. Though they exhibit patterns, letter forms, numerical representations, figures derived from Persian miniatures, phrases from the Quran evocative of the universality of different faiths around the world, and even the earth tones of my native Iran, I feel they explore an abstract “universe of the mind” common to us all.
In stark contrast to my paintings, the installation portion of my exhibit addresses the harsh reality of the Islamic religion at this crucial time in history and its apparent distance from the true scriptures of the Quran. It bears witness to the historical crime of 1987 committed by the “so-called” Islamic Republic of Iran that occurred within a political prison in Tehran. In this bitter reality, the Iranian regime executed, mostly by hanging, over 3,800 well-educated, young human rights activists in a matter of weeks.
In the film portion of my show, I interview a few practicing Muslims in America who read, study and ask questions of themselves about the scriptures; they are part of a new movement in the Islamic faith. Also, playing periodically is my short film “In the Grave”, which depicts the dreamlike fantasies of a young Iranian political prisoner while she undergoes a barbaric isolation torture known as “the grave”.
In all my recent works, I am trying to go deep within myself to see clearly the challenges and choices before me. My film and installation works seek to expose social ills, exposure which is an essential first step for change in our world. On a totally different front, I continue to freely experiment in my paintings. I am striving for a sense of harmony between the design elements and the pictorial elements that I am introducing in them, which were all but absent in early Islamic art. Though I approach my paintings with real intent, I always want to leave room for artistic serendipity.
- Biography:
- EARLY DEVELOPMENT
My discovery of art: When I was 6 years old my brother, Ahmad, who left us and this world , introduced me to the wonder of creation when, unbeknownst to him, I watched as he worked with colored pencils on a picture for one of his school projects. Just by being who he was and seeing him confidently applying the reds and greens and yellows to this blank page, did he totally captivate me with the creative process. In a sudden flash of certainty, I became totally involved in the world of art...(I had never even seen an art piece before then)...and this passion was to stay with me for the rest of my life. This creative "selection" was to carry over even in my dress. When my mother might bring home a dress each for my sister and me, my sister happily accepted it "as is." But I would always want to change it: make it shorter, tighter or in some way more stylish. I was a rebel in my mom's eyes. This obsession for beauty and fashion passed when I was around 15 years of age, and I began searching for meaning in my life. I became "politicized" at 18. It was during the Shah's regime and many young Iranian people, idealistic and looking for a better world, became involved in groups seeking social change.
When the Iranian Revolution, which sought to end the Shah's repressive regime, finally succeeded, there was real jubilation and optimism for the future. But this was short-lived. As the true nature of the theocracy surfaced, a pall of fear was cast over the entire country. Anyone whose ideas differed from theirs had to flee or risk arrest and possible death. Repression of ideas and censorship were the order of the day.
PRISON
At that time, having graduated from high school with a teaching credential, I was in my fifth year as a teacher of elementary school children. I took my class on a field trip to a play written by an author whose work had been banned during the era of the Shah. His play, an innocent children's story, encouraged independent thought and concern for others. (Like so many "enemies" of the government, the author had died "mysteriously"; he was found floating in a river.) Despite having secured the permission of all the children's parents for them to attend the play, school officials aligned with the government were not pleased that I had done this. A few days later, I learned I was being demoted from my teaching post to that of an office secretary, and being transferred to another school.
A month later, I was arrested for passing out newsletter/pamphlets critical of the regime to people passing in the streets. For this act, I was sentenced to 5 years in a women's prison.
The years I spent inside as a political prisoner encompassed both the worst and best experiences of my life. For all the cruelty, torture, and isolation of the place, there were moments of pure beauty and humanity from my fellow inmates that I will never forget. The experience gave me a deeper view of myself, of humanity, human rights, life and death.
RELEASE
After my release from prison, I was not allowed to teach in any official capacity despite my credential and 5 years of teaching experience. I decided to privately tutor students while taking art classes myself from four famous Iranian artists. This I did for 4 years while trying to register for the university entrance examination, a bureaucratic nightmare effort made almost impossible due to having lost my high school diploma and teaching credential document while in prison. Finally, I was able to secure proper duplicate documents that enabled me to take the entrance test. Among many thousands of applicants taking the exam, I received the 75th highest score. I then took a required second round of testing.
When my name did not appear among the accepted applicants published in the newspaper, I suspected the government had interceded with their "ideological filter", denying me entrance. Following up, I found that this indeed had been the case. So I wrote a 2-page letter to the Minister of Education wherein I discussed this matter very openly. I argued that if they denied a person with political "tendencies" such as myself the right I had earned to enter the University, they would be giving me little choice but to leave the country.
Miraculously, I received a congratulatory acceptance letter in the mail. The next year, I became a student at Art University in Tehran.
Only 3 years later, I found out that in that second round of testing, designed specifically to test all applicants seeking to secure one of the 500 designated places in the country's art schools, I had placed 1st.
ART IN IRAN AND IN AMERICA
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