Group Presentation: +2

+2 proudly presents a group exhibition featuring works by renowned artists Raana Farnoud (b.1953), Farideh Lashai (b. 1944 - d. 2013), Farah Ossouli (b. 1953), and Gizella Varga Sinai (b. 1944). The show will be on view from June 23 to July 14, 2023. This exhibition aims to recall the first presentation of these four artists together at the Afrand Gallery in the spring of 1991. 

A late series of acrylic paintings by Raana Farnoud is presented in the show. In recent years, Farnoud’s work has focused more on portraits while maintaining an interest in capturing unique perspectives, evoking a sense of cinematic narration. Farnoud has crafted a distinguished body of work over almost six decades. Influenced by photography and cinema, she adopts a deliberate framing technique akin to holding a camera and meticulously selecting her subjects. 

An early 2000s painting of Farideh Lashai’s abstract era is exhibited. Lashai believed that the progression of modern art in Iran was impeded by the tendency to impose narratives onto artworks. She consciously sought artistic independence to distance herself from literary inclinations and her work in translation and writing. Lashai was a prolific artist who left a lasting impact on the Iranian art world.

Farah Ossouli has maintained a deep interest in ‘painting’ itself. In the works shown in this exhibition, she recreates and remodels classic paintings of Fransisco Goya, Peter Paul Rubens, and Édouard Manet in a style often seen in Safavid manuscripts. Ossouli is a pioneering figure in taking up contemporary approaches toward Persian "Miniature" Painting. 

Works from Gizella Varga Sinai’s “Blind Dolls” series, dating back to the early 1980s, are part of this display. These mixed media works feature surrealistic features inspired by the poetry of Khayyam. Gizella’s art captures the dichotomies as she immerses herself in a new culture. 

The works of these artists are accompanied by a selection of archives. The current exhibition seeks to present the diversity of technique, perspective, subject materials, and themes in the work of these four artists, all of whom were once part of Dena, a collective of female Iranian artists formed in 2001 intending to highlight the works of women.