Statement:

This selection of intergenerational group of visual artists are using architecture for more than just its functional purposes, aiming to shed light on wider social forces in Iranian life through the lens of space, time, and geography. Their works express a strong sense of solidarity with suppressed narratives, captivating the viewer’s imagination through the creation of new spaces using unconventional tools, unfamiliar homes, and innovative architecture. In light of recent political and social transformations, it can be argued that freedom is the common thread in all social aspirations. Despite this, freedom in public spaces remains elusive, but traditional architecture has the potential to create commonalities while minimizing differences. The main objective of this collaboration is to offer a fresh perspective on the current state of affairs.///

The exhibition is the outcome of bringing together thirteen contemporary artists who have utilized a range of media such as video, sculpture, design, and painting to create their works. Each piece embodies a unique sense of freedom and specific approaches in addressing the concepts of architecture, space, and geometry.

Shirin Gharavisky

The transformations in Iranian society in recent years have made the need to revisit the concept of female identity one of the cultural necessities of society. What is now open to criticism in feminist works is the fact that most of these works take a confrontational and conflicting approach to the concept of male-dominated society, opposing social norms and standards in a way that has deprived art of a great emotional opportunity. The recent exhibition at Soo Gallery seeks to explore feminine thought not in the context of intellectual and social discrimination, but rather in a deeper psychological understanding of space, time, and place. The young artists in this exhibition have each spoken from their own sensory perception, rather than using pre-existing clichéd definitions of women. It is as if the conversation about architecture or geometric deduction could also be a kind of confrontation with collective mentality. Some of the artists in this collection may have started their own ideas from somewhere outside the current exhibition statement or may not even be in harmony with this idea. But it cannot be ignored that women artists in societies similar to Iran are ultimately reconstructing a new identity for the meaning of «contemporary woman» except for personal denial - through art. Women who do not accept the discriminatory walls of their own mental geometry and environment and, through this collective collaboration, will present an image that is much different from modern definitions of Iranian women. Perhaps in a simpler definition, this event is also a sign of a society›s mental transformation; where art is a wider tool than showing the current gaps between traditional and contemporary society and provides an internal opportunity to display future perspectives and perceptual complexities.

Shahrouz Nazari