Frankness is not the Best Approach!

November 18th, 2011

Aseman weekly, No. 93

Helia Darabi

This collection of performances I believe have all targeted the free will and the sense of responsibility. In “Come Caress me!”, an interactive performance, the audience had the necessary tools for shooting, yet they could choose not to. The outcome was unexpected. The everyday-life violation was challenged enthusiastically, as well as the organized and power-dependent form of that. “50%off” addresses the art market, relationships under power system and the artist’s persistence on his/her ideals and fundamental beliefs. The artist had tied himself to the pillar and hanged his “body parts” on the wall of the gallery with 50% off! Such work is a satire of the notion of “art as object” hanging from the wall. Seemingly, the artist himself had avoided and had referred to the usage of (cover and gold) superficiality in the art-(oriented) market of Iran. 

“Field” deals with the same theme for the whole collection. One aspect of this performance is to challenge the body of the artist to the edge of resistance against physical and psychological pressures. While this could be a ceremony for purification or austerity, it reveals the deep hidden violation in its esence. With “enacting” and “displacement”, the artist strips bare the level of violence which has been taken for granted in its normative occurrence. The reaction of the audience, the crisis and the diverse division among them is the most important aspect of this work. Some would resort to the violation itself to eliminate it, while others continue with vandalistic behaviours such as swearing, spitting and shutting the (gallery) lights. The majority prefer to wait and keep silent and see what happens in the end. It all very well demonstrate that the educated gallery-touring people in this country fairly represent the society. This would be a good answer to the question proposed in the first performance: Whether the reaction of this class could be generalised to the society? Amir Mobed therefore, needs to try different approaches, and frankness and monophony could not be the practical ones. 

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