Shirin Abedinirad
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Shirin Abedinirad (born 1986; fa, شیرین عابدینی‌راد) is an Iranian artist best known for her mirror installations. Her works often present optical illusions, as she experiments with light and movement through mirrors. Having worked on sculptural installations,
performance A performance is an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Management science In the work place ...
and video art, Abedinirad has explored the pivotal concept of self-identity in the broader context of society. In 2016, she authored a book titled ''Conceptual Art & Fashion Design in the 21st Century'', which was published by Nazar Art Publication in Iran.


Early life and education

Abedinirad was born in 1986 in
Tabriz Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...
,
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. Beginning her art career with painting, she has studied Fashion and Textile Design at Dr Shariaty University in Tehran. The principal focus of her dissertation was
conceptual art Conceptual art, also referred to as conceptualism, is art in which the concept(s) or idea(s) involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic, technical, and material concerns. Some works of conceptual art, sometimes called insta ...
and the ways in which it relates to fashion. She has also studied video art under the supervision of the Iranian filmmaker
Abbas Kiarostami Abbas Kiarostami ( fa, عباس کیارستمی ; 22 June 1940 – 4 July 2016) was an Iranian film director, screenwriter, poet, photographer, and film producer. An active filmmaker from 1970, Kiarostami had been involved in the production of ...
who selected her along with a few other artists to participate in his workshop at IBAFF Film Festival in
Murcia Murcia (, , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It has a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one ...
,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
, in 2013. At the closing ceremony of the Festival, Abedinirad presented a performance art piece which she dedicated to the American video artist
Bill Viola Bill Viola ( , ; born 1951) is an American contemporary video artist whose artistic expression depends upon electronic, sound, and image technology in new media. His works focus on the ideas behind fundamental human experiences such as birth, d ...
in his presence at the event. In 2014, Abedinirad was awarded a one-year artist scholarship to engage in the cultural projects of Benetton’s
Fabrica research centre Fabrica (est. 1994) is a communications research centre in Treviso, Italy financed by the Benetton Group. It produces ''Colors'' magazine amongst other projects. The centre aims to combine culture with industry and offers young people the opportu ...
in
Treviso Treviso ( , ; vec, Trevixo) is a city and ''comune'' in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 84,669 inhabitants (as of September 2017). Some 3,000 live within the Veneti ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
.


Works

Abedinirad explores complex human issues through her symbolic works. Her installations examine the connections between human beings and nature. Both desert and industrial places were used as the settings for ''Evocation'' (2013) and ''Heaven on Earth'' (2014) mirror installations, in which numerous mirrors were embedded on the ground to reflect the sky above. Creating skyward reflections through mirrors, Abedinirad sought to display the relationship between the human mind and the natural elements. The mirrors were particularly used to symbolise water in the middle of Iran’s dry land and Italy’s man-made structures. In August 2015, Abedinirad completed her ''Mirrored Ziggurat'' installation as part of the Underbelly Arts Festival in
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. Inspired by the pyramidal structure of
ziggurat A ziggurat (; Cuneiform: 𒅆𒂍𒉪, Akkadian: ', D-stem of ' 'to protrude, to build high', cognate with other Semitic languages like Hebrew ''zaqar'' (זָקַר) 'protrude') is a type of massive structure built in ancient Mesopotamia. It has ...
s in ancient
Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...
, this installation distorts the viewers’ perception and presents a transformative view of the self. In October 2015, Abedinirad collaborated with the Italian interaction designer Gugo Torelli on a project called ''Babel Tower''. The sculpture built from glass boxes sat for a few days in
Dasht-e Kavir Dasht-e Kavir ( fa, دشت كوير, lit=Low Plains in classical Persian, from ''khwar'' (low), and ''dasht'' (plain, flatland)), also known as Kavir-e Namak () and the Great Salt Desert, is a large desert lying in the middle of the Iranian Plat ...
, a desert in the central
Iranian Plateau The Iranian plateau or Persian plateau is a geological feature in Western Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia. It comprises part of the Eurasian Plate and is wedged between the Arabian Plate and the Indian Plate; situated between the Zagros ...
. Powered by an
Arduino Arduino () is an open-source hardware and software company, project, and user community that designs and manufactures single-board microcontrollers and microcontroller kits for building digital devices. Its hardware products are licensed unde ...
processor, the tower sensed changes in weather conditions that added a
kinetic Kinetic (Ancient Greek: κίνησις “kinesis”, movement or to move) may refer to: * Kinetic theory of gases, Kinetic theory, describing a gas as particles in random motion * Kinetic energy, the energy of an object that it possesses due to i ...
feature to its nine tiers. The sculpture was inspired by an old utopian ideal appearing in the Biblical story Genesis 11. As Abedinirad explained: “
his His or HIS may refer to: Computing * Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company * Honeywell Information Systems * Hybrid intelligent system * Microsoft Host Integration Server Education * Hangzhou International School, in ...
is an interactive installation that recontextualises the spiritual architecture of the
Tower of Babel The Tower of Babel ( he, , ''Mīgdal Bāḇel'') narrative in Genesis 11:1–9 is an origin myth meant to explain why the world's peoples speak different languages. According to the story, a united human race speaking a single language and mi ...
with modern materials.” This artwork was selected as the eight remote installations published by ''
Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...
'' magazine in March 2017. In December 2017, its photograph was also published by
Stanford University Press Stanford University Press (SUP) is the publishing house of Stanford University. It is one of the oldest academic presses in the United States and the first university press to be established on the West Coast. It was among the presses officially ...
as the cover of a book titled ''Archaeology of Babel''. Not only do ''Mirrored Ziggurat'' and ''Babel Tower'' bring humans and Nature closer together like her previous works, but they also create a union of ancient history with today’s world.


Exhibitions

In 2015, Abedinirad’s ''Mirrored Zuggurat'' was featured on Cockatoo Island, Australia, for the two-day Underbelly Arts Festival. In 2016, her ''Sulūk'' sculpture was put on display on ''One Belt One Road'' ''Visual Arts Exhibition'' taking place at
Sotheby’s Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
Gallery. Organised by the Hong Kong Federation of Women, the event illustrated the importance of female visual artists among the Belt and Road nations across Asia, Europe and Africa. Among other artists whose works were exhibited in this Gallery were
Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese contemporary artist who works primarily in sculpture and installation, and is also active in painting, performance, video art, fashion, poetry, fiction, and other arts. Her work is based in conceptual art and shows some attributes ...
and
Joana Vasconcelos Joana Vasconcelos (born 1971) is a Portuguese artist known for her large-scale installations. Biography Vasconcelos was born in 1971 in Paris, France. Her family returned home to Portugal after their exile to France and following the Carnation ...
. The exhibition explored the ties between the ancient
Silk Road The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and reli ...
and the Belt and Road Initiative. From April–July 2017, Abedinirad’s video art ''Gliss'' was displayed in
Andorra , image_flag = Flag of Andorra.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Andorra.svg , symbol_type = Coat of arms , national_motto = la, Virtus Unita Fortior, label=none (Latin)"United virtue is stro ...
Land Art International Biennale. From August–September 2017, she collaborated with Dionne Lee on a video exhibition titled ''Eleven and a Half Hours'', which was featured at Aggregate Space Gallery in
West Oakland West Oakland is a neighborhood situated in the northwestern corner of Oakland, California, United States, situated west of Downtown Oakland, south of Emeryville, and north of Alameda. The neighborhood is located along the waterfront at the Po ...
. Curated by
Shaghayegh Cyrous Shaghayegh Cyrous (Persian:; is an American artist and curator based in Los Angeles. Her interactive time-based investigations, participatory projects, and video installations have been said to "create a poetic space for human connections." Earl ...
, the exhibition focused on striking similarities in the everyday lives of the two Iranian and American women, even though their locations and cultures were different. In the same year, the video of her ''Babel Tower'' was exhibited at FILE ANIMA+
Electronic Language International Festival The Festival Internacional de Linguagem Eletrônica (FILE; English: Electronic Language International Festival) is a New media art festival that usually takes place in three cities of Brazil: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre and it has ...
in
São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
,
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. Since October 2017, ''In Between (Part II): So Far'' has been on view at
Mana Contemporary Mana Contemporary is a cultural center in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States with affiliated centers in Chicago and Miami. History and Founder Opened in May 2011, the center was founded by moving company mogul Moishe Mana. Shai Baitel ...
which offers six installations by six women that work to shape Iranian contemporary video art. Displaying Abedinirad’s ''Passage'', the show is the second part of an exhibition series curated by Shahram Karimi. In March 2018, she participated in Lorne Sculpture Biennale showing her ''Breakwaver'' installation.


See also

*
Islamic art Islamic art is a part of Islamic culture and encompasses the visual arts produced since the 7th century CE by people who lived within territories inhabited or ruled by Muslim populations. Referring to characteristic traditions across a wide ra ...
*
Iranian art Persian art or Iranian art () has one of the richest art heritages in world history and has been strong in many media including architecture, painting, weaving, pottery, calligraphy, metalworking and sculpture. At different times, influences ...
*
Islamic calligraphy Islamic calligraphy is the artistic practice of handwriting and calligraphy, in the languages which use Arabic alphabet or the alphabets derived from it. It includes Arabic, Persian, Ottoman, and Urdu calligraphy.Chapman, Caroline (2012). '' ...
*
List of Iranian artists The following list of Iranian artists (in alphabetical order by last name) includes artists of various genres, who are notable and are either born in Iran, of Iranian descent or who produce works that are primarily about Iran. Cinema artists Act ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abedinirad, Shirin Iranian women artists 1986 births Living people