In his latest book, Hamid Keshmirshekan traces the foundation of modern and contemporary art in Iran and explores its transformation from 1940 to 2010. Unlike previous studies that offer a leaner historical analysis, Keshmirshekan contextualizes the sociohistorical conditions that formed modern Iranian art. By situating the sociocultural frames within broader discourses of art history and transcultural and critical studies, he examines modernity’s crisis of identity. His interdisciplinary approach to exploring the roots of Iranian modern art from regional, global, and generational perspectives further shows how Iranian artists have confronted hegemonic discourses.
The artwork Curriculum Mortis (2015) by Barbad Golshiri as the cover image foreshadows the main motives of the book. Golshiri’s Curriculum Mortis is a sculpture installation project that has evolved over time. The work resembles a cemetery, a conceptual graveyard in which each tombstone stands for the demise of individual liberty under different circumstances. As a critical narrative, it first debuted at the Thomas Erben Gallery in 2013 and was presented most recently in 2023. The 2015 version was presented in Tehran.
Depicting three diagonal, damaged gravestones—two in the shadows and one standing in the light on the right side—surrounded by scribbled inscriptions in rectangle forms, this cover image resembles a grim minimalistic cemetery, and the red ribbon in the distance indicates a border or a boundary. Does this wasteland ambience reflect the mise-en-scène of the modern and contemporary art of Iran? Inspired by the graves of artists and writers dear to Golshiri, the work originally symbolized archives and insights that were waiting to be rediscovered. Keshmirshekan’s analytical approach in the three main parts of the book resonates with the three stones, symbolizing the sociocultural milestones and generations of Iran’s modern and contemporary art. The inscriptions on the graves in this image may be unreadable, but the book provides detailed information on the transformation of Iranian art and commemorates the contributions of artists who framed the discipline. Curriculum Mortis portrays Keshmirshekan’s commemoration of artists, as he invites new generations of viewers and scholars to reinterpret the modern and contemporary art of Iran.
To provide a nuanced view of the complexities that affect Iranian artists, Keshmirshekan first redefines contemporaneity and distinguishes it from modernity. By juxtaposing these terminologies in the Western and Iranian contexts, he questions the authority of a singular discourse and offers a counternarrative and periodization for modern Iranian art. Keshmirshekan draws our attention to the need to establish new perspectives for understanding different phases of Iranian modern art. With the exception of the work of a few others, such as Fereshteh Daftari, a methodology that emphasizes the necessity of formulating a timeline tailored specifically to Iranian modern art often has been overlooked by other scholars.
Keshmirshekan outlines sociocultural events and emphasizes the clash of tradition with evolving modernity as the root of complexities artists face in crafting their views and reclaiming their independence. Integrating scholarly debates on modernization from various disciplines, and studying the selected archives of artists in parallel, allows him to investigate the chronology and downfalls of Iranian modern art. Keshmirshekan’s understanding of artists’ trajectories is based on case studies and thematic interviews with artists inside Iran and in the diaspora. To underline the diversity of narratives that frame Iranian modern art and investigate the impact of artists’ roles on confronting tradition, Keshmirshekan juxtaposes his analyses with other debates, such as those regarding decolonization and area studies.
Divided into three main parts and comprising nine chapters, the book is thematically and chronologically structured based on major sociocultural events affecting Iran, resulting in a comprehensive narrative of Iranian art from 1940 to 2010. Confronting the male-dominated Eurocentric discourses of “the global North,” in Chapter 1 Keshmirshekan addresses the systematic marginalization that keeps the art of Iran peripheral in the global context. The second chapter introduces the reader to the fast-paced sociopolitical reforms of the mid-20th century that led to cultural transformation and the beginning of Iranian modern art. By defining a new notion of temporality and periodization related to this sociocultural transition, the first two chapters provide a critical historical overview and reposition Iranian modern art within the discourse. Through this counternarrative, Keshmirshekan explores notions of authenticity and authorship. Analyzing the works of pioneers and innovative movements in confronting tradition, these chapters set the foundation for tracing the paradigms of Iranian modernism.
The second part comprises Chapters 3 to 5 and sketches the dominant discourses in Iranian art. The third chapter explores the emergence of neotraditionalism, underlining the significance of nationalistic approaches to merging modern art with cultural heritage, namely movements such as the Saqqa-khaneh school in the 1960s. By focusing on the artistic trajectories and oeuvres of male artists of this canon and an independent group of painters and sculptures in 1974, along with the ideology of Iranian philosopher critics Jalal Al-e-Ahmad and Ahmad Fardid, the chapter underlines the degree to which patriarchy and nationalism dominated not only intellectual thinking but also artistic canons. This patriarchal framework further placed the first generation of women artists as secondary. Figures like Shokouh Riazi, Mansoureh Hosseini, Massoumeh Seyhoun, Behjat Sadr, Lilit Teryan, Iran Darroudi, and Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, to name a few, played equally pivotal roles in the artistic landscape and modernization of Iranian art in that period. The conflict of authenticity and maintaining a balance between cultural heritage and the forward movement of modernity defined in this phase endures throughout later decades.
The third chapter additionally explores the impact of the Pahlavi dynasty on the transformation of Iranian modern art. Some of the aspects highlighted in this section include the increasing support of Western and national patronage for emerging art canons, the opening of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (TMoCA), the Tehran Biennials (1958–66), and the Shiraz Art Festival (1967–77). Each example additionally showcases the ambitions and nuanced perspectives of artists and critics on Iranian modern art in this phase. Chapter 4 expands on artists grappling with ideological conflicts in the postrevolutionary phase of 1980 to early 1990. Considering the periods from the aftermath of the 1979 revolution to the end of the Iran–Iraq War in 1988, and from 1988 to the presidential election of 1997, Keshmirshekan describes the ideological aspects of Iranian art in turbulent times. The 1980s were marked by martyrdom and religious iconography but also cultivated concepts such as cultural radicalism and resulted in the emergence of contemporary trends. This phase caused new adjustments in 1990 and the emergence of a new generation of artists. Offering a meticulous survey of the cultural revolution along with a detailed exploration of the works of male artists, Keshmirshekan also references three female photojournalists and six female artists, with an example of one work by Maryam Zandi and one work by Hayedeh Salehi-Lorestani. Keshmirshekan’s approach reflects the extent to which patriarchy dominated Iranian modern art during this cultural transformation.
Addressing the stagnation and extensive complexities imposed on Iranian modern art in the first four chapters, Keshmirshekan highlights the adaptability of artists in making use of different means of expression. As described by its title “Paradigms of Contemporary Art,” Chapter 5 elaborates the specificities of contemporaneity in the artistic ambience of the late 1990s and 2000s. Starting with the reform period of (1997–2005) and its outcome, the chapter provides a clear image of the dichotomy between the practices and strategies of artists and those of the state in times of conflict. Focusing on the notion of contemporaneity, the chapter touches on some of the current debates within the discipline, including the impact of globalization and the dynamics of cross-cultural dialogue, new art trends and platforms, stereotypes, and the visibility of female artists.
The third and final part of the book includes Chapters 6 to 9 and delves into the politics that frame art and explores how in their practice the artists challenge and reconstruct these frames. Addressing issues such as essentialism, exoticism, stereotypes and political identity, and market demand from 2005 to 2010, these chapters further draw our attention to the impact of contemporary artists on reconstructing the art scene and confronting clichés. Underlining the growth of conservatism, Chapter 6 surveys the role of private sectors and art markets in providing visibility and generating stereotypes, and Chapter 7 draws our attention to the artistic practices as forms of resistance to this phenomenon. Considering aspects such as the state’s cultural strategy and artists’ objections to any imposed aesthetic values, the third part of Keshmirshekan’s book portrays the independent and authentic rebellious aspects of Iran’s contemporary art. By expanding on the clash of hegemonic views with the counternarrative of artists, referring to the philosophical debates of Michel Foucault, Stuart Hall, and Michel De Certeau (among others), Keshmirshekan introduces an alternative way to see Iranian art. Chapter 8 touches upon topics such as diasporic art and explores the implications of exoticism and Orientalism on artists. Through this critical lens Keshmirshekan portrays emergence of the hegemonic gaze and self-exoticism in Iranian contemporary art. He draws our attention to how this has resulted in a series of stereotypes and how the art market encourages artists in this trend. Furthermore, by offering a detailed exploration of artists’ strategies for obtaining visibility and authenticity, the chapter introduces countermeasures of expression, such as artists’ use of hyperbolic satire in self-exoticism within a structured hegemony. Keshmirshekan’s analyses of artworks as a counternarrative underline how Iranian artists are struggling with the phenomenon of self-stereotyping.
One of the intriguing features of this book is that each part initiates a dialogue. Instead of repeating fixed ideas, Keshmirshekan invites readers to reevaluate their understanding of Iranian modern and contemporary art and reposition artists outside social and geopolitical frames. By breaking the linear approach, Keshmirshekan highlights how Iranian art intersects with global practice and how, despite a complex background and hardships, artists have reclaimed their voices and identities. The thematic structure of each part and the provided sources and footnotes permit the reader to trace the development of Keshmirshekan’s analysis and follow his arguments.
The book provides a comprehensive foundation for scholars and enthusiast readers who seek to engage with the development of Iran’s modern and contemporary art. As a critical resource, its nuanced, interdisciplinary approach underlines the significance of Iranian modern art on a global level. The book complements recently published works by Pamela Karimi (Alternative Iran: Contemporary Art and Critical Spatial Practice, 2022, and Women, Art, Freedom Artists and Street Politics in Iran, 2024) and provides enthusiasts from various disciplines such as transcultural Iranian studies and modern art historians with insights into the concurrent state of Iranian contemporary art.
