Shocking America
As funders threaten to punish the US gallery that censorsed the first major US exhibition of gay art, Salil Tripathi looks at the fallout of America’s culture wars
The fight to save Iran’s oldest art gallery
Iran’s oldest gallery of contemporary art is under threat of closure. Tehran’s Seyhoun Gallery opened its doors in 1966, showcasing, launching and establishing many of Iran’s prominent 20th-century artists. Founded by the painter Massoumeh Seyhoun, the gallery fast became the hub for Iranian and international artists, exhibiting and hosting Andy Warhol in 1976.
During the 1979 revolution Seyhoun was herself imprisoned for one year for her display of “foreign extravaganza”, but re-opened the gallery upon her release, in spite of the significant change in social, political and economic climate, and continued, thereon promoting Iranian artists only.
Sohrab Sepehri, Faramarz Pilaram, Massoud Arabshahi, calligraphers Reza Mafi and (in its abstract form) Hossein Zenderoudi all exhibited at Seyhoun Gallery on Vozara Street in northern Tehran before becoming widely acclaimed outside Iran. In October this year sales of Sepehri’s work secured Sotheby’s a record auction. His Untitled (From the tree trunk series) painting sold for £409,250 more than double the pre-sale low estimate of £200,000.
After land costs soared for the Seyhoun Gallery spot following Seyhoun’s death earlier this year, plans to open a restaurant in its place have been exposed, causing uproar among Iran’s artist community who protested outside the gallery calling for the preservation of this historical site. “The footsteps of Iranian artists from Sohrab Sepeheri to Mokarameh Ghanbari can be heard though the walls of this gallery, and the demolition of this gallery means the demolition of the national and artistic identity of this country,” said Ahmad Nasrollahi, one of the artists. Maryam Seyhoun, the founder’s daughter and leading architect and artist (whose work was exhibited in a group exhibition with Picasso and Dali in Massachusetts in 1972) Houshang Seyhoun, argues that it is the gallery as a landmark that has in fact created the monetary value of the site, adding “This gallery belongs to all the people of Iran and should be preserved as a historical site”.
To sign the petition to save the Seyhoun Gallery click here
China releases dissident artist Ai Weiwei
Ai Weiwei, China’s best-known dissident artist, is called God Ai by his supporters. Ai helped design the Bird’s Nest stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics and more recently his Sunflower Seeds installation created a splash at the Tate Modern; but Ai continues to be a thorn in the side of the Chinese state. His blogs and microblogs were long ago been blocked in China after his controversial investigations into events such as non-accidental deaths in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake angered the authorities.
His international standing presents difficulties for the authorities: should he be ignored or co-opted? Ai claims that two years ago, the Shanghai authorities asked him to build a studio to help develop an arts district it was developing to increase the city’s cultural status. Now the same authorities have ordered that his USD$1.1m studio be torn down. They claim the building is illegal — that the correct permissions were never obtained.
Ai declared that he would have one of his sensational parties to “celebrate”: this time everyone would have something in-season to eat: 10,000 river crabs. For anyone in-the-know the word “river crab” is important. According to the New York Times the river crab is:
…a sly reference to the Mandarin word hexie, which means both river crab and harmonious. Among critics of China’s censorship regime, hexie has become a buzzword for opposition to the government’s call to create a harmonious society, free from dissent.
On Friday, Ai was placed under house arrest meaning he would be unable to attend his own party, planned for this weekend. Reports of his angry reaction are here and here.
Ai’s detention focused the media’s attention on the party and the studios pending demolition. Within China there has been criticism and accusations that Ai is seeking free publicity from the foreign media; some argued that he advertised the party for too long, almost seeking a reaction. However much the Western media report it, no reports have appeared in the Chinese press.
Ai’s house arrest was due to end at midnight last night — his supporters took it upon themselves to celebrate in Shanghai without him. Ai told AFP the police left his Beijing home a little earlier at 11pm, too late for him to reach the party. Nonetheless at the Shanghai banquet his fans had their say.
PLUS: READ INDEX ON CENSORSHIP MAGAZINE’S INTERVIEW WITH AI WEIWEI HERE
Russian painters to boycott Louvre over banned artist
A group of Russian artists have threatened to boycott an exhibition at the Louvre over the removal of works deemed offensive to Vladimir Putin. Seven painters have said they won’t partiicpate because of a ban on Avdei Ter-Oganyan’s “Radical Abstractionism” series, originally created in 2004. A culture ministry official told newspaper Ria Novosti that a boycott could not take place because the artwork had already been shipped to Paris. Ter-Ognayan wrote on his website that the boycott would draw attention to the “conflict between art and the authorities”.
Read more on Avdei Ter-Oganyan here.