TEHRAN – The Museum of Contemporary Art Tehran (TMOCA) will be holding the “In Women’s Words” exhibition, dedicated to showcasing 121 works by contemporary Iranian female artists starting Wednesday.
Curated by Afsaneh Kamran, Toka Maleki and Sajjad Baghban Maher, the exhibition featured show works by artists such as Monir Farmanfarmaian, Behjat Sadr, Iranh Etemadi, Parvaneh Lashai, Farideh Lashai and Leyly Matin Daftari.
At a press conference for the exhibition held on the museum grounds on Sunday, the director of Tmoca Reza Dabirinejad said:
“The museum’s collection identifies 270 works by 65 contemporary female artists, and according to the available space, these choices will be exhibited in the “In Women’s Words” exhibition,” he added.
“Today, female artists play an important role in Iran’s contemporary art scene. They exist at national art auctions and exhibitions and international levels. Since the museum’s establishment, we have never served as female directors.
“During the exhibition, books on women’s exhibitions will also be presented. In addition, research sessions will be held and documentary films will be screened as side events for the exhibition. The content will be published in a variety of formats and open to the public. We will also pursue virtualization of the exhibition.”
Also in the session, Toka Maleki, a writer, researcher and one of the exhibition’s curators, emphasized the importance of women’s status in Iranian visual arts, particularly contemporary art, saying, “It is impossible to write the history of art without considering the perspective of women.
“We must also examine similarities with the artistic behavior of male artists. This does not mean that gender separation or exaggerating or hiding the role of women, but rather rereading the qualities each artist has, and this art history will undoubtedly remain incomplete,” she added.
Regarding the structure of the exhibition, she said: “The work of female artists at this event is divided into several sections with examples of Behjat Sadr and Monir Farmanfarmaian, from pioneering women such as Chocow Riaji to portraiture and abstract art. Neotraditionalism and social themes in the medium of painting, sculpture, photography and video art.
Afsane Kamran, the author’s university lecturer and another curator of the exhibition, highlighted the importance of research in the field of visual arts, particularly in the work of female artists, saying, “In this exhibition side program, various research sessions are planned, emphasizing the imagining of exhibitions from political, social and visual perspectives. Expression. We sought to address the four theme axes of women’s art history, the female media and female artists, their professions, and income.
During the session, Sajjad Baghban Maher, the museum curator and another curator of “In Women’s Words.”
The exhibition “In Women’s Words” will be held for two months at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran.
SS/SAB