Sydney College of the Arts the University of Sydney a Thesis
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Sydney College of the Arts The University of Sydney A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF FINE ARTS RESEARCH PAPER East Meets West: Exploring connections between abstract modernist painting and nomadic textile traditions to reflect on diaspora identity. By Farina Salehi 2018 1 Statement This volume presented as a record of the work undertaken for the degree of Master of Fine Arts at Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney. i Table of Content Acknowledgements……………………………………………………….. iii List of Illustrations………………………………………………………... iv Abstract……………………………………………………………………. v Introduction……………………………………………………………….. 1 Overview of the chapters and areas……………………………………….. 3 Chapter One: Nomadic weaving………………………………………….. 4 Chapter two: American Abstract Painting………………………………… 12 Chapter Three: Cultural collage…………………………………………... 29 Conclusion……………………………………………………………….... 36 Bibliography……………………………………………………………… 40 Catalogue of Works Presented for Examination………………………….. 42 ii Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge and extend special thanks to my supervisor, Mr. Justin Trendall for his ongoing ideas and encouragement; and, my family for their unswerving support. iii List of Illustrations Figure 1. Farina Salehi, Diaspora, 2011 (4). Figure 2. Qashqa’i Gabbeh, 19th century (5). Figure 3. The Pazyryk rug, 5th century B.C. (6). Figure 4. Mamassani Lor Gabbeh, 3rd quarter 20th century (7). Figure 5. Qashqa’i two-sided Gabbeh, 3rd quarter 19th century (10). Figure 6. Mamassani Lor gabbeh, 3rd quarter 20th century (10). Figure 7. Mark Rothko, No. 5 (No. 22), 1950. (14). Figure 8. Jackson Pollock, Number 1A, 1949 (17). Figure 9. Jackson Pollock, Blue Poles, 1952 (18). Figure 10. Farina Salehi, Weaving the memories series, 2011 (22). Figure 11. Farina Salehi, Madder, 2015 (26). Figure 12. Farina Salehi, Path to paradise, 2015 (27). Figure 13. Farina Salehi, Weaving the memories series, 2011 (28). Figure 14. Farina Salehi, Weaving the memories series, 2016 (28). Figure 15. Sara Rahbar, Flag #19, Memories without recollection, 2008 (30). Figure 16. Sara Rahbar, all is hidden with me, and I open my mouth, but not a word, 2010 (31). Figure 17. Sara Rahbar, Flag #32, did you see what love did to us once again, 2008 (31). Figure 18. Hossein Valamanesh, Longing Belonging, 1997 (32). Figure 19. Hossein Valamanesh, The lover circles his own heart, 1993 (33). Figure 20. Farina Salehi, Dancing with colors, 2015-2016 (34). Figure 21. Farina Salehi, Turquoise series, 2017 (35). Figure 22. Farina Salehi, Turquoise series, 2017 (35). Figure 23. Farina Salehi, Turquoise series, 2017 (36). Figure 24. Farina Salehi, Turquoise series, 2017 (36). iv Abstract My research project explores connections between Iranian textile designs and western abstract painting. Based on the diaspora experience of my own life it investigates how the influence of two different creative traditions combined to produce new forms of culturally hybrid art. The research examines modernist abstract painting and nomadic weaving traditions and considers specific aesthetic issues that are common to both despite their separation in time and place. It uses this idea and observations to create work that speaks about how art can be a space in which culture can be positively combined and enjoyed. v INTRODUCTION “This simple story is dedicated to generations of anonymous young carpet weavers who lived and died in poverty. Their nimble fingers and inborn artistic talent created masterpieces of weaving, proud possessions of museums, palaces, private collectors and home lovers. Their names are unrecorded in the annals of carpet history. Their memorial is the beauty they created.” 1 Personal context of my research project. My family comes from Kerman in Iran. I lived there when I was young before moving to the nearby city of Shiraz, one of the most historical cities in the country. It was in this period of my life that I became interested in the woven textiles of the Qashqai, nearby nomadic peoples whose weavings have become globally famous. When I began to paint and to study art, these weavings were my most important influence. In those days I knew little about modernist art and the history of abstract painting. In my early paintings, I was simply trying to pull the colors and forms from the heart of tribal art and pour them on my canvas in an abstract form. I was using ideas about abstract art from the Western tradition – but I was not very aware of this at the time. This thesis looks at how my work developed over time and how it has become a space where I explore connections between the tribal weaving traditions from my homeland area and the abstract painting styles of modern art in a more in-depth way. Through my research, I have become more aware that it is not simple when artists use different creative influences from other cultures as their inspiration. Many theories focus on the idea of cultural exploitation. These theories are often critiques of colonial situations or economic exploitation. While these ideas that look at the political side of cultural exchange are necessary and relevant, I have decided to focus on how my work responds to different sources both pre-modern and modern in a positive way. I think of my relationship to the carpets as an ‘influence’ rather than an ‘appropriation.' In the beginning, I related to them directly as inspiring works of art that used colors and designs in a way that I affected me strongly. As I have continued to research more, I have become aware of how complex cultural exchange is. I now think these carpets give 1 Jacques Cadry and Barbara Ker Wilson, The Persian Carpet Story (Sydney: Methuen Australia, 1981). 1 me a sense of belonging to Kerman and Shiraz even though they are not directly part of my own family’s culture. They are part of the broader culture of Iran. They connect me to a place that is my home. This has made me think about my relationship with them in a positive way. After I finished studying in Shiraz, I moved to Tehran to do a higher degree. It was there I began to learn more about modern art and abstract painting. This led me to think about connections between the Qashqa’i weavings and Western traditions of art. I began to use my paintings to explore this idea that art can be a space where two different traditions meet in a positive way. Both creative traditions, nomadic and modernist art, are not directly mine. But like many people in the 21st century, I have to try to make sense of the feeling I am connected to more than one culture; that part of me is connected to a local place, and part of me belongs to a broader global community. Here in Australia, there are many languages and many ways of seeing the world. Migrant experience has shaped Australian identity in the modern world. It is a word and a concept that can be difficult, depending on time and place and who is speaking about who. In this thesis, I look at how my studio research project blends together different elements from each aesthetic tradition to create new knowledge about the role of art as a way of reflecting and speaking about multiculturalism in the 21st century.2 2 Daniel T. Potts, Nomadism in Iran: From Antiquity to the Modern Era (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014). 2 Overview of the chapters and areas The first chapter begins by describing how these woven carpets fit into my own life story and my earlier work. It then outlines the broader history of the nomadic weaving traditions of Central Asia and Caucasia before looking at the specific tribal weavings in the area I come from.3 The second chapter focusses on some artists who shaped the history of abstract painting in the 20th century. It begins with an overview of this movement and then moves on to look at two artists in detail that I am focussing on. In this chapter, I look at parallels between woven carpets and American abstract painting that my Master’s work is exploring. I made my early work by intuitively mixing elements of these two traditions. I did not directly belong to either tradition, but both of them inspire me. As my project has progressed this blending together of modern and old has become more deliberate, and I am making my work thinking about what these creative traditions share. This chapter looks at some of the ways they overlap one another. I will look at how, although they are quite similar from an aesthetic point of view, these traditions are very different kinds of art. I am interested in how they can have some visual, aspects in common although they come from very different, traditions, and cultures.4 The third chapter investigates the idea of cultural hybridity. Along with my interest in color and carpet, I have also been interested in multiculturalism. This chapter looks at a contemporary artist whose work explores the mixing of cultures in the 21st century. Although my work does not relate directly to her practice, I have been experimenting with cut up carpet pieces for two years. In Rahbar’s work cut up fragments are used to investigate Iranian-American dual.5 The conclusion looks in more detail at the idea of cultural fusion in art. Using the example, it will argue that art can act as a bridge between cultures in the modern world by producing work that combines influences from different cultures. 3 James Opie, Tribal Rugs of Southern Persia (Portland, Or: James Opie Oriental rugs, 1981). 4 Hamid Keshmirshekan, Contemporary Iranian Art, New Perspectives (London: Saqi books, 2013). 5 Sara Rahbar, "Artist Statement " https://www.sararahbar.com/artist-statement. 3 CHAPTER ONE: NOMADIC WEAVING Introduction I have always felt a strong connection with the design of the Persian carpet and my paintings have drawn heavily on their influence.