Iranian arts find a forum in Jakarta
By Mehru Jaffer
JAKARTA (JP): Before Iranian master calligrapher Fariba Maqsoodi came here she imagined the country to be very similar to her homeland.
"In my mind the world's largest Muslim country was not very different to Iran. But when I arrived in Jakarta a few days ago I realized that everything about the people, climate and landscape of this island country is unique. Everyone I have met here is a Muslim and yet not all women feel the need to cover their head," 39-year-old Fariba told The Jakarta Post at the National Museum in Jakarta where she is participating along with five others in a live exhibition of Iranian contemporary arts.
Likewise, many Indonesians are perhaps not clear as to what Iran is all about. Two journalists from a local Arabic monthly magazine spoke to the Iranians in Arabic and were surprised when the replies were in the Persian language instead!
They had obviously taken it for granted that being Muslims all Iranians speak Arabic, the mother tongue of Prophet Muhammad.
"When such encounters take place the result is enlightenment about something we weren't aware of about each other. It leads to further interest in other people and their way of life," explained Ahmad Abousaeidi, second counselor from the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
They also fit right in with the exhibition of paintings, calligraphy, miniatures and handicrafts, sponsored by the embassy in conjunction with the United Nations Year of Dialogue. Also in attendance are the artists, two of whom are women.
Fariba is the first woman to have written the Koran in Nasta'liq, the ultimate in Islamic calligraphy. She has also written a second copy of the Koran in Osmani, the Turkish style of calligraphy. A teacher of the ancient art of calligraphy with nearly two decades of experience, the mother of two said that one of her children is keen to pursue her fine art. Fariba's works are gloriously displayed at the exhibition and provide much visual pleasure.
The other woman artist, Hengameh Sadry, 28, has been painting in the Persian style for over a decade. What is interesting about the works of this master miniaturist is the way she struggles to combine the contemporary with the classical. Even as she modestly covers the head of the beauty on a balcony in one of her paintings, standing against the doors of tradition that are shut behind her, there appears an attempt to bare the soul of her subject, at least for a moment.
The surreal works of Ali Akbar Sadeghi are fascinating, especially his use of uniforms and the weaponry of members of the armed forces. The watercolor exhibits by the same artist are so refined that some of them could be mistaken for real-life photographs. Nasrollah Afei, a 67-year-old artist from Tehran, intrigues as he tries to adapt tradition to modern trends.
Apart from the paintings and calligraphy, the handicrafts on display stand out for their fine creativity, especially the rotund pitchers extravagantly carved in both silver and bronze by Mehdi Alamdari. Now in his early 50s, he has studied metal engraving since he was a boy. The other artist is Sohrob Rahimi, whose specialty is engraving and inlaid work.
The presence of the Iranian artists is particularly appropriate as the Year of Dialogue came from an idea of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami. Concerned by speculative arguments about the West versus the "rest", like those of Samuel P. Huntington, the author of The Clash of Civilizations and The Remaking of World Order, Khatami proposed a resolution in 1998 at the United Nations that dialog replace hostility and confrontation with discourse and understanding.
After a passionate debate the resolution was adopted late last year without a vote by the General Assembly and 2001 was declared the Year of Dialogue. The exhibition will go some way in the attempt to create positive interaction and fusion between cultures and civilizations.
The exhibition is at the National Museum, Jl. Merdeka Barat 12, Jakarta until Feb. 22. Contact 331378 or 334637 for more information.