IEA statement in Armenia Art Fair 2019 (1-3 June)
The basic idea of IEA (Iranian Emerging Artists) was formed on the use of cyberspace through social networks to showcase the works of growing number of Iranian young and emerging artists. Social networks, by providing free and democratic platforms with the least restrictive features, such as censorship of posted content, could have been a good start to display the images of the works of young artists and communicate with the domestic audience, and in particular outside the Iran. Despite the fact that the number of commercial art galleries in Iran, and especially in Tehran, has grown steadily in recent years, these institutions still can’t meet the growing need of these artists to display and sell their works.
The disparity between the limited number of these galleries and the large number of young people who enter the art world after graduation, along with different criteria for accepting and collaborating with artists in galleries, practically makes creative and high quality works ignored and unseen. In this perspective, in its first step in 2015, IEA as a platform for the presentation and promotion of the works of emerging Iranian artists, began its activities through the social media of Instagram, which, by its very nature, is more adaptable to display the images. On the other hand, the selection and display of works on the IEA page somehow reflects the tastes and preferences of the admin as the curator, in order to in this way, introduce and promote the tendencies, approaches, and common modes in Iran’s artistic atmosphere through the showcasing of innovative, high-quality, and valuable artworks in form and content.Participating in the second edition of the International Armenian Art Fair 2019, while is an honoring in IEA resume, for the first time will provide the opportunity for this self-governing and independent institute to move from virtual space to the real space. IEA is participating in this international art event by representing four artists, Parham Peyvandi, Amin Moazzami, Masoud Jazani, Parham Taghioff, and Yasamin Khorsandi whose works have already been featured on its Instagram page. The main focus is on displaying the works by these artists, most of which were created on paper and using mediums like art print, photography, drawing, and watercolor painting.
However, one or two paintings on canvas and video art will be shown alongside the original collection. Works on paper, in contrast to other mediums, not only giving the artist the opportunity and freedom to create artwork, but also – regarding lower prices in the primary and secondary markets – makes it possible for the interested art lovers to begin to collect artworks. The unifying factor and the common element in the work of these artists – which, at the same time, give contemporary quality to their work – is the focus and contemplation on the city and the space it is providing to the artist to live and have experiences in it. So, each of these four artists, from their point of view, has tried to turn their lived experience into the language of art, thereby achieving a combination of individual identity and collective identity derived from living in the city and with others.