Iranian arts find a forum in Jakarta

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.