Group Presentation | "Soft Edge of the Blade Vol. 2": Zaal Art Gallery

Zaal Art Gallery presents "Soft Edge of the Blade Vol. 2,” the second iteration of a series that started in London in 2022. The show enlists over 30 Iranian artists whose over 100 works straddle two venues concurrently – Art Toronto (October 26-29, 2023) and Zaal Art Gallery (Opening October 28 2023).

"Soft Edge of the Blade Vol. 2" draws attention to forms of violence often overshadowed by events within a febrile region whose name – "the Middle East" – has come to be associated with ferocity, especially how it has been portrayed and discussed by the media. Going beyond visible violence, it poses questions: How does violence manifest softly? Do we even know that it has taken place? Do we need someone to point it out? Aren't we creating it by talking about it? Works on view open the way for viewers to contemplate violence in its different embodiments, the diversity of ways it affects individuals, and the many interpretations it engenders. 

Having operated as an international firm specializing in exhibitions and art management since 2017, Zaal Art Gallery will open its doors to visitors for the first time concurrent with Art Toronto 2023. Zaal Art Gallery's physical venue in Toronto will host a wide range of artists from Iran whose works speak volumes about the diversity of voices within the country, the tonality of visions, and the multiplicity of artistic approaches.

Works in Toronto give viewers a vista to behold images of violence without shying away from what they signify – suffering and death. It calls for the viewers to move towards compassionate understanding rather than impetuous reaction. The show is more interested in asking questions than suggesting answers, in the spirit of Elie Weisel, who once asked: "Could it be … that questions are more important than answers? … After all, we have learned from history that questions unite people. It is the answers that divide them". Let us rest in the space opened by the works of art.