The word "Nasar" (pronounced "nah-sar") in Persian signifies the southwest or west-facing direction. It denotes a building side that receives sunlight in the afternoon and early evening, making it the most favored location for living spaces in traditional Persian architecture due to the provision of pleasant sunlight without the harshness of midday heat.
SARAI Gallery is pleased to present its inaugural collaboration with the talented artist Narges Fadakar. Her captivating series, "Nasar," will be on display from May 31st to June 14th, 2024, at SARAI's location in Tehran.
Following a deep immersion in Iranian miniature painting during her undergraduate studies, Fadakar's artistic approach took a contemporary turn. However, the enduring influence of her training eventually led her back to her roots, prompting her to integrate the past and present. This introspective exploration resulted in a captivating body of work, drawing inspiration from renowned historical miniatures meticulously chosen for their depiction of buildings and their narratives collectively centered on women's experiences.
In her artwork, she creates a dialogue between the historical narratives and her personal artistic interpretation, weaving a powerful commentary on the passage of time and the feminine spirit. While retaining the original composition and spatial arrangements, she intentionally leaves out people, birds, and vibrant flowers and portrays once-lively trees as dry. The buildings, although structurally unchanged, exude a sense of abandonment. This deliberate contrast evokes the fading echoes of the women who once inhabited these spaces, leaving only whispers of their stories.
Fadakar subtly integrates contemporary details, transforming ornate, two-dimensional buildings into monolithic, three-dimensional concrete forms to imbue the original miniatures with the experiences and surroundings of her contemporary world. Fadakar's material choices further enhance her artistic expression. She uses dry pigments to create a matte finish in her works, toning down the colors and giving them a dusty, earthy quality, and also adds finer details reminiscent of lithography. She integrates this with the creative process of incorporating techniques like erasing, washing, and sanding, which are elements of her contemporary painting process, allowing unexpected developments to emerge.
