The Columbia-educated Persian rocker’s recent appearance on Saturday Night Live (click here to watch the full episode) with host Zach Galifianakis–along with his Vampire Weekend band-mates–is concretely the launching of innumerable and increased industry recognition as well as appearances, ahead of him.
Featured in the January 2010 issue of Vogue Magazine, Rolling Stone Magazine’s Will Dana wrote of Vampire Weekend’s 2008 debut: “The music had a bracing smartness, as overdetermined and detailed as a Wes Anderson movie, almost perfect for what it was, but you wondered how they’d handle the real world.”
Their new album Contra, is: “brainy, confident, and generally awesome.” Dana opines. “The drums are bigger, the guitars are faster, and the songs are outfitted with synth beats and hip-hop, reggae and electro accents.”
Watch The Malloys-directed music video for ”Giving Up The Gun,”–a track off the Contra album–which includes cameos from Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers, Lil’ Jon, RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, and Mr. Prince of Persia himself: Jake Gyllenhaal, below.
Works by Yassi Golshani--L to R: Rupoush, Hafiz Divinatory Poems, Installation with sound 2002-03
Yassi Golshani grew up in Iran and gained an MA in Painting from Al Zahra University in Tehran. In 1996 she moved to Paris, where she studied at the University of Saint Denis-Paris VII and the Sorbonne. Golshani’s artistic practice moved from painting to installation work, and most recently she has created installations of boxes containing various items, from disbanded Iranian newspapers and religious poetry, to children’s toys. Golshani has participated in a number of exhibitions in Iran, Europe and the USA.
And now, in partnership with the luxury five-star hotel Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill, the official hotel partner of the Frieze Art Fair, Candlestar presents: Perspectives.
The second in a series of collaborative exhibitions staged in the hotel lobby following Iran Unbowed, which showcased three generations of contemporary artists from Iran; Perspectives will explore ideas of expectation and illusion–each of the works displayed is not quite as it first appears.
Perspectives features five highly distinctive artists – two photographers Emily Allchurch and David Maisel, two painters Patrick Hughes and Gerry Judah, and the young, Prague-based Iranian, Yassi Golshani. Each of these accomplished, exacting artists painstakingly constructs a world and then delights in breaking the illusion – either literally, as in the paintings of Gerry Judah where tiny precise cities are built up and then broken down on the canvas, or more figuratively, as in Emily Allchurch’s Urban Chiaroscuro, where surveillance cameras and mirrors, modern signs and graffiti and other contemporary details are positioned within what is apparently an eighteenth century etching.
Perspectives will interrupt the normal transition of image to eye, while challenging expectations of the display context. Rather than accepting what you see at face value, each artwork rewards further investigation to decode its subject and form. The works will transform the hotel lobby into a forum of participation, as they demand and repay interaction from the viewer. The show promises to be thought provoking, and is a rare opportunity to see these international artists together.
Perspectives will be on show at the Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill from March to June, and there will be a Private View on Monday 15 March, 6 – 8.30 pm.
For the second year, the Freer and Sackler galleries will mark the Persian New Year, known as “Nowruz,” with traditional displays of the haft sin table, fire jumping, storytelling, live music, art making, delicious food and more. The Persian New Year formally begins March 20, the first day of spring, but the Freer and Sackler galleries will begin celebrating Sunday, March 7, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dating to 3,000 B.C.E., Nowruz is rooted in Zoroastrianism, the religion of Iran before Islam, and marks the vernal equinox, or the beginning of spring. Today, it is celebrated in Iran, Central Asia and Lebanon.
“We are thrilled to host our second Nowruz event,” said Marjan Adib, head of Strategy and Policy Implementation at the galleries. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for families to gather from many different cultures, backgrounds and ages to celebrate the arrival of spring.”
Music: The Pejvak Ensemble, Directed by Behfar Bahadoran
Enjoy new music performed on traditional Persian instruments at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. in the Meyer Auditorium. The ensemble features Behfar Bahadoran on tar and setar, Faraz Minooei on santur, Pezhham Akhavass on tombak, Steve Bloom on percussion, and Shohreh Majd performing vocals. Free tickets are required for The Pejvak Ensemble and can be reserved in advance beginning 10 a.m., Monday, Feb. 22, through ticketmaster.com.
Booksigning: Najmieh Batmanglij
Acclaimed chef and author Najmieh Batmanglij signs copies of her many cookbooks, including Happy Nowruz: Cooking with Children to Celebrate the Persian New Year from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Sackler shop.
Haft Sin Tables
Haft sin tables, a traditional table display created during Nowruz, will feature the seven symbolic items that Iranian families traditionally use to honor the return of spring. The tables will be located in the Freer Gallery north corridor, Sackler pavilion and ImaginAsia classroom (Sackler sublevel 2).
Backgammon and Fire Jumping
Families will enjoy playing the ancient Persian board game backgammon, and for those who are new to the game, members of the Northern Virginia Backgammon Club will offer introductory lessons at 12 and 2 p.m. on Sackler sublevel 1. Also, cast off the troubles of the past year and celebrate the victory of light over darkness by jumping over an artificial fire in the Sackler Pavilion or ImaginAsia classroom on Sackler sublevel 2.
Greeting Cards and Fortunes for Children
Make a Nowruz greeting card and your fortune in a fun version of the Falnama (Book of Omens) in the ImaginAsia classroom on Sackler sublevel 2.
Video: Babak and Friends: A First Norooz
In this delightful 30-minute animated film, young Babak learns about Nowruz when his cousins arrive from Iran to celebrate the New Year. Continuous screenings will be offered in the ImaginAsia classroom on Sackler sublevel 2.
Food from Johnny’s Kabob and Mie N Yu
Johnny’s Kabob will offer lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Ripley Center concourse. Snacks and tea will be available from Mie N Yu from 12 to 3 p.m. in the Freer courtyard (rain location: Freer south corridor)
For complete schedules, event locations and additional details on all Nowruz events, please visit www.asia.si.edu/nowruz.
The Nowruz celebration is made possible with the support of the Ebrahimi Family Foundation.
The Freer Gallery of Art, located at 12th Street and Independence Avenue S.W., and the adjacent Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, located at 1050 Independence Avenue S.W., are on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day, except Dec. 25, and admission is free. The galleries are located near the Smithsonian Metrorail station on the Blue and Orange lines. For more information, the public may call (202) 633-1000 or visit the Web site: asia.si.edu.
Throughout time, Persian patterns have remained of the most enlightened, delicate, and precisely-detailed in the world…And we simply adore seeing more and more parts of our often-unmentioned culture so smartly inserted into the mainstream market. (In this case; urban playgrounds, empty pools, and skateboard ramps.)
Eric Esmailzadeh Parnes’s newest creation and usable product(s): “Boards of Iran,” easily double as figurative flying carpets. (Pending upon how fast you can board.)
These beautiful urban pieces finally allow us to step (even with our dirtiest sneakers) on such recherché prints found mostly on the best of silk Persian rugs, guilt free.
“The geometric designs and intrinsic beauty of Persian rugs is well known and has been a coveted item both in the East, and West. It was only natural that these designs were chosen.” Says Parnes of his inspiration for the skateboards. ”I recreated the designs from a vast selection of different styles of rugs, and tried to portray the subtle hand crafted imperfections that make them special.”
Parnes who skateboards “in theory” because it “would either ruin the beauty of the design, or [his] body,” humorously tells us that he made this product for “rug dealers, and naturally, their children.”
I suppose it’s fair to disclose I have family that own a rug store, as well as family friends who do. (But then again who doesn’t.) I would love to set up a skateboard shop in a Bazaar as a art concept.” Adds the New York-based Iranian artist. ”It’s out there so that anyone who likes it gets it.”
Nader Davoodi is an award winning artist, photographer, photojournalist and publisher. His work has at many times captured the zeitgeist of contemporary Iran.
Nader Davoodi’s latest works visualise the poetry of the Mo’jjam History by the 13th century A.D. Iranian poet Ghazvini. The compilations in the Mojj’am History chronicle Iran’s Shahs (kings) from the reign of Kioumars Shah, whose reign coincides with the beginning of the epic Shahnameh (book of kings), through the end of the reign of Anushiravan Shah.
We are pleased to announce that the festival committee has extended the deadline of the 2nd Annual Farhang Foundation Short Film Festival to Monday, February 22, 2010.
This year, filmmakers from all walks of life, Iranian and non-Iranian, are invited to create a music video (less than 9 minutes).
A music video is a short movie or animation that is accompanied with music of any style or genre (contemporary, pop, classical, folk, Iranian, non-Iranian, etc.). The music may be with or without lyrics and in any language. The music and the lyrics may be original or pre-existing.
L to R, Photo: Michelle Blioux, Model; Zadasha White - Amy Sarabi - Artwork by Amy Sarabi--All images courtesy of Lifetime
Seems like it was just last season (season six to be exact) that we got our fix of “Iranians on TV”–via the tiny Persian designer, Shirin Askari–on Lifetime’s Project Runway.
Wait…it was.
But now, there’s a new Persian girl–who’s also (originally) from Texas like her predecessor–to watch on the show of shows in Fashion, Iranian-American fashion designer: Amy Sarabi.
“My parents came to the United States in 1979.” Sarabi tells us. ”They landed in Texas where they attended Graduate School. I spent the majority of my childhood growing up in Plano, Texas: I have an older brother, Shahin and an older sister Shiva.”
The 26 year-old designer’s fascination with fashion emerged early in life: “I was always buying garments and turning them into something else, I have a vivid memory of myself standing in front of my mother’s mirror at about 6 years old putting a nightgown on the wrong way intentionally and wearing it as a little jacket.”
Already placing in the “Best 3″ category on her Project Runway scorecard for her unconventional approach to simplicity while remaining authentic to the texture, look, and earthy color pallete of the delicious burlap creation she sent down the runway on Episode 2: The Fashion Farm, Amy’s had a stellar start on Project Runway this season.
And although she may not have enough time to “make things for [herself]” to wear, we’re confident that the “silk organza”-loving, and progressively artful honarmand (artist), Amy Sarabi will in no time be a respected voice in the fashion world, and rule her scene. (As most Persian women seem to naturally do.)
A true Persian girl at heart, Amy admits to us that her own personal style consists of wearing “a lot of black.” Her design aesthetic, however, is far from being monochromatic. It’s rich and kaleidoscopic.
Enjoy Persianesque Magazine’s exclusive interview with the fashion-theory-au-fait and forward-focused, global design-house-in-the-making source: Amy Sarabi. Read the full story
L to R: Big Bad Boo Studios Founders; Aly Jetha and Shabnam Rezaei
Washington, DC–The 1979 revolution resulted in a clear and massive brain drain for Iran and created an estimated annual financial loss comparative to the yearly cost of the Iran-Iraq War: Causing Iran to miss out on the power of its people’s collective intelligence. However, the flip side is: Iranians live all over the world now and some have had a chance to spread their reach over the last 30-plus years–unceasingly growing; with healthy force, and in hypersonic form.
Persianesque Magazine’s Iranian-American Woman of the Year for 2009, Tehran-born super-entrepreneur Shabnam Rezaei is a classic example. It takes a lot to be featured as our Iranian-American woman of the year, but Shabnam Rezaei has more than enough accomplishments to put even the most eager shaagerd avval (top student) to shame.
L to R: "A Man Who Ate His Cherries" by Payman Haghani, "Heiran" by Shalizeh Arefpour - Original Photos: Smithsonian Institute
Presented in conjunction with Falnama: The Book of Omens, the 2010 Iranian Film Festival begins on January 8th at Washington, DC’s Freer and Sackler Galleries.
Amongst the five new films are: “A Man Who Ate His Cherries” by Payman Haghani, “Shirin” by Abbas Kiarostami, “Two-Legged Horse” by Samira Makhmalbaf, and “Heiran” by Shalizeh Arefpour; in addition to a special presentation of Kiarostami’s ”Ta’ziyeh/The Spectators.”
Abbas Kiarostami, is said to “convincingly and triumphantly brings the powerful experience of communal, ritual theater into the digital age with his groundbreaking film/video installation ‘Ta’ziyeh/The Spectators.’”
To celebrate the 2010 Persian New, The British Museum has joined forces with the charity Magic of Persia for a weekend of workshops and activities aimed at re-educating children about the rich and diverse cultural traditions and heritage of Iran. On the weekend of the 20th and 21st of March, events including games, arts and crafts, performances of Iranian music and dance will be organised for families and young people.
The arts have always proved to be an effective way of engaging with young people, and the creativity that lies at the heart of these events helps to generate enthusiasm for both ancient and modern Persian culture. The event is free and open to families of all nationalities and religions. As well as helping children to identify with Iranian culture, the workshops also aim to alleviate stereotypes, which can be formed all too easily as a result of the current political climate, and finally to provide a platform for the burgeoning Persian art scene.
Ana Lily Amirpour is working on her next project, a short film called KETAB, about a lonely young guy in Tehran who goes to buy a book. On the surface it appears to be a very basic story, but as it unfolds, a more intricate world is revealed, one that touches on the current dichotomies faced by Tehrani youth and their fight for basic freedoms. The film will star Sam Golzari who debuted as the star of American Dreamz and 21. Co-stars include exciting up-and-coming Persian talent like comedian Max Amini and actress Sheila Vand, as well as veteran Iranian actor Marshall Manesh who has appeared in dozens of films and television shows including Year One, True Lies, How I Met Your Mother, Will and Grace and Entourage, among many others.
“KETAB is actually a scene from my feature script THE STONES. I plan to use this short film to show the industry that a foreign film about Iranian youth is not just important and topical, it’s also a fun ride as well… with what’s going on in Iran today, it’s never felt more necessary to tell these types of stories.” Amirpour says.
Fataneh Dadkhah is a pioneer of stage-photography as an artistic discipline in Iran. She has documented the rebirth of Iranian theatre since the 1979 revolution, and in 1983 she published Theatre Photography, in association with the Dramatic Arts Centre in Iran. Since 2001 Dadkhah has travelled extensively inside and outside of Iran taking snapshots of her experiences, and has exhibited nationally and internationally.
The two photographs presented by Candlestar are part of Dadkhah’s beautiful Balouchi Bride series taken in Balouchestan, Iran, and can be commissioned exclusively from Candlestar as limited edition prints.
Participating in a design contest for long-time luggage-makers Samsonite, Iranian Industrial Designer, Pouyan Mokhtarani, creates the Smart Baby Case.
The inspiration behind his creation? The simple and “elliptical shape” of a common food source amongst Iranians: the egg.
“The embryo of most creatures live in an elliptical space in their early sperm life.” Says Mokhtarani. ”My unique elliptical baby case, ‘Smart Baby Case’, is equipped with some primary and essential features that provide a safe and healthy environment for infants to grow in, allowing parents to be more productive while enjoy raising up their infants.”
L to R, Kourosh Salehi: Pahlevan, Once Upon a Place
Kourosh Salehi’s, Turquoise Letters, will be at the Idea Generation Gallery, London, from 10 to 16 December 2009.
Showing a collection of his paintings and film installations at the Idea Generation Gallery, East London, 10 – 16 December 2009, UK-based Iranian artist, Kourosh Salehi, is part of a group of post-revolution Iranian artists who have merged East-Western traditions to articulate a new language of exile. This exhibition, a collection of paintings and video art, surveys the most recent work of this important painter.
