Iranian artist’s exhibition explores ‘to be or not to be’

CAIRO – 21 September 2017: Iranian artist Ramin Haerizadeh’s current Dubai solo show, “To Be or Not to Be, That Is the Question. And Though, It Troubles the Digestion” explores personal and political issues through collage and other mediums.

Haerizadeh uses collage and other mixed media to explore factors such as time, history, and politics. Working primarily in Dubai, Haerizadeh lifts myths and traditions into the realm of the digital, splicing multiple images to create something distinct. The artist collaborates frequently with his brother Rokni Haerizadeh and childhood friend Hesam Rahmanian, who have been living in Dubai in exile since 2009.

A major theme in the artist’s work is renewal. In regards to materials, Haerizadeh is adamant about not throwing anything away or leaving it to collect dust, constantly reusing materials and giving them new life. He also consistently returns to his older pieces and readapts them, adjusting them to how he himself has changed with the passage of time.

Located at Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, the exhibition runs from September 13 to November 2, ‘To Be or Not To Be” is Haerizadeh’s fourth exhibition in Dubai, and is the culmination of the artist’s 40 years of artistic experience.

Amongst the examples of the works presented is “First Rain’s Always a Surprise,” a deeply personal series about Haerizadeh’s mother that explores the history of his mother and her family’s life, and how it related to the broader social contexts. Using photographs and diary entries from his mother’s personal diaries, Haerizadeh creates collages that reflect the life of his mother in a unique and artistic manner.

To Haerizadeh, collage goes beyond art; it is political. In an interview with The National, he explains: “For me, collage as a form is political. Instead of painting something, the use is of existing images and putting them next to each other, harshly sometimes.”