Fereydoun Ave & Shaqayeq Arabi | "Roots": Dastan+2

Dastan is pleased to announce the opening of two exhibitions: “Notes 2000-2003” by Fereydoun Ave at Dastan’s Basement, and “Roots” by Shaqayeq Arabi and Fereydoun Ave at Dastan+2. Both shows open on Friday, April 14, 2017 and will be open for public viewing through May 5, 2017.

“Notes 2000-2003” is a series of works taken from three sketchbooks from 2000 to 2003. They have been painted using accessible materials like pencils and watercolors, in different locations such as Tehran, Paris and Syros Island in Greece. For Ave, watercolors have been a favorite material, both as a study tool and as means of creating independent artworks. The artist has repeatedly attributed his consistent use of the medium to its ease of transport while away from his atelier and the pure joy of its practice.

“Roots” is a duo show of two-dimensional and three-dimensional works by Shaqayeq Arabi and Fereydoun Ave. Shaqayeq Arabi’s three-dimensional installations are about being uprooted from mother earth. Fereydoun Ave’s works are two-dimensional mixed media (Indian ink, watercolors and acrylic paint) on paper and canvas: “They are about the concentration of energy in winter roots. Subterranean is the atmosphere; the life-force becoming dense. “Roots” is a show about earth at winter, its nurturing powers and the respect it deserves as a sacred element. It is the mother that gives birth in the spring. The two artists, despite having worked separately, have observed the same properties in roots and how essential they are to connecting man to its nurturing source: earth*”. Following the exhibition at Total Arts at the Courtyard (Dubai, UAE), this is the second time “Roots” is being shown. Ave’s works were created in Paris and have been shipped to Tehran for this exhibition, while Arabi, due to her installation being site-specific, has created in at the gallery.

Fereydoun Ave (b. 1945, Tehran, Iran) is one of the most influential individuals in Iranian contemporary art and his prolific efforts have taken diverse aspects. During his career, he has successfully taken many different roles including artist, designer, art director, collector, curator, gallerist and art patron. His artworks have been featured in many solo exhibitions along with hundreds of group shows in galleries and museums all around the world. As well as being purchased by many notable private collectors, Ave’s work has been acquired by prestigious art institutions including The British Museum in London, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Los Angles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the Cy Twombly Foundation.

Shaqayeq Arabi (b. 1974, Tehran, Iran) is a multidisciplinary artist living between Tehran, Dubai and New York City. Arabi’s works are fundamentally abstract, yet they evoke a range of associations. For her, art is a form of spontaneous personal expression, as well as an exploration of her past and present memory. In sketching, composing and connecting accumulated fragments together, Arabi traces her reminiscences, creating a tangible and touchable reality out of the emotions and sensations. Educated in Iran and France, Arabi’s work has been exhibited in prestigious venues in Iran, the UAE, Europe and the USA.

* Arabi, Shaqayeq; Ave, Fereydoun. “Roots”. Exhibition Catalog. Total Arts at the Courtyard. Dubai, UAE: 2014