Title: After the Revolution: Contemporary Photography from Tehran and California
Dates: April 16 - June 27, 2008
Location: San Francisco Arts Commission (City Hall), SF, CA
Co-curated with Ghazeleh Hedeyat (Iran-based artist)
Artists: Iran - Mehraneh Atashi, Mahboube Karamli, Morteza Khaki, Meysam Mahfouz, Parham Taghioff. CA - Elhum Amjadi, Amir H. Fallah, Naciem Nikkhah, Parisa Taghizadeh, Shadi Yousefian.
Catalog: Essay by Terry Cohen.
Events: Evening panel discussion, The Location of Identity, with artists and scholars, and lunchtime panel discussion with Shadi Yousefian and Terry Cohen.
Press Release:
The San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery is pleased to present After the Revolution, a groundbreaking group exhibition of contemporary photography by Iranian artists from Tehran and California as part of our ongoing Art at City Hall program.
After the Revolution is the first substantial exhibition mounted in the US featuring photography by young emerging artists from Tehran. In addition, the work from Tehran will be exhibited alongside photographs by emerging artists of Iranian descent living in California, thus creating a rich dialogue around the hopes and concerns of Iranians and the Iranian Diaspora. After the Revolution will feature approximately 100 photographs by the participating artists. The artists, all under the age of 40, were born around or after the 1978 Iranian Revolution.
After the Revolution will be located at San Francisco City Hall, the seat of local government and a premiere venue for the exhibition of artworks engaged in a civic dialogue. America’s current political relationship with Iran is strained at best, and it is important during these tense times to reflect on the human experience. Contemporary art is a powerful tool to break down barriers and bring to light common experiences while celebrating disparate perspectives. It is evident in the photographs featured in After the Revolution that these young artists are grappling with a society caught between traditional values and contemporary innovation. The work highlights both the distinction between public and private spaces, as well as the specific nature of public and private expression within Iranian culture.
This exhibition is supported by the San Francisco Arts Commission, Azita Raji & Gary Syman, Electric Works, PhotoAlliance, Grants for the Arts, and Page Imageworks.
