Ardeshir: Stormy Weather: Dastan+2

Dastan is pleased to announce the exhibition “Ardeshir: Stormy Weather” at Dastan+2. The exhibition will be open for public viewing from December 9, 2016, through January 1, 2017. This exhibition is a part of The Ardeshir Project which is defined as a study of the works of Ardeshir through writings, documentations and exhibitions.

Ardeshir Mohassess (1938-2008) was one of the most prolific, influential and internationally-renowned Iranian artists of the twentieth century. Best known by his drawings, he was also one of the most important illustrators and cartoonists of his time, with his work published in many local newspapers and magazines including Keyhan Hafteh and Tehran Journal, as well as The New York Times and The Nation. Ardeshir’s work was published more than ten books during his lifetime, and shown in important shows at venues such as Musée d’Art Moderne, Asia Society Museum, and acquired by prestigious collections such as the Library of Congress and Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.

Ardeshir’s legacy remains strongly among many Iranian artists of the current generation. One of the works in this exhibition was also shown in Dastan+2’s debut exhibition (November 2015), Mossavar-Nameh (“Book of Images”). Besides introducing many artists that shared inspirations, Mossavar-Nameh studied Ardeshir as one of the most influential artists of his generation, studying his influence in later works. In a 2014 poll conducted among 100 artists and art critics, published by the Iranian magazine Herfeh:Honarmand, Ardeshir was voted the second most important Iranian artist of modern times.

On the occasion of this exhibition, a new book titled “Ardeshir: Stormy Weather” will be launched. The text is written by Dariush Kiaras, and presented along with an English translation by Sohrab Mahdavi and images of 64 works by Ardeshir from a period known as “Ardeshir and Stormy Winds”. This book is a more extensive edition of “Ardehsir — 1787”, published in February 2015 parallel to “A Tribute to Ardeshir Mohassess” exhibition at Sam Art (a project by Dastan and Pejman Foundation), winning Aria Kasaie and Studio Kargah a Sarv-e Noghrei Award for Best Book Design. “Ardeshir — Stormy Weather”, also designed by the same team, is published by Dastan.