Curatorial notes
Editor: This is Aydin Aghdashloo’s "Notes on Malek Garden," from 1980. It’s a watercolor and drawing on paper. It’s pretty stark, a seemingly simple depiction of some stone steps. The growth of weeds feels tenacious. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Well, immediately, I’m struck by the representation of ruin. Here we have the artist depicting stone steps, seemingly from a garden as the title suggests, and there’s a clear sense of decay, of time’s passage, reflected in the fractured stone, the sparse weeds. But think about the socio-political context of Iran in 1980. What does this suggest about how the artist is using these images to speak about wider conditions? Editor: So, it's not just about the aesthetic of decay? It's more about a specific historical context? Curator: Exactly. It’s likely that the “ruin” we see here functions as a quiet commentary on the upheaval within Iran at that time. Notice also the formal qualities of the work: the academic style contrasts sharply with the subject matter. It asks: what kind of "academic art" is being done amidst revolutionary social unrest? It appears realistic, yet with subtle dreamlike qualities with its desaturated wash, and use of white space. Editor: The stark realism coupled with this suggestion of a kind of “orientalism” feels unsettling now that you mention the context. It isn't simply documenting nature; it reflects a socio-political perspective, through art. Curator: Precisely. Art always speaks from a specific historical moment, and it often has more to say than we first realize. Considering the social and political elements invites us to think deeply about what art means, and does. Editor: I never thought of considering social upheaval when viewing a landscape painting of this sort! Thank you. Curator: My pleasure. Always ask questions!