Opening at Aaran Projects on 2nd February 2018
On view until 19th February

Homa Delvaray sets out to bring the culture of common beliefs, customs, rituals, and gossip, superstition and faux-religious teachings in to the open and criticize it. She has gathered texts from various sources and has meticulously sewn them together to create 7 sculptural pieces, each one being one of the numbers that are constantly referred to in mythology and folklore of Iran: two, three, four, five, six, seven, and forty. The intelligent use of satire and references to Iranian arts such as: book making, Pardeh Neveshteh (embroidery and various techniques used in making of flags of Ashura), Nastaliq (Persian calligraphy) and cadres and formats of Persian painting are all part of this fascinating series.

The Book of Kolsum Naneh will also be show cased which is an adaptation of a rather famous book written three hundred years ago by a progressive clergy who aimed to confront and educate the regressive instructions of many other clergies.

Artist has arranged her book to be in seven parts (Bab), five elderly superstitious ladies narrate the instructions that are aimed for the younger women and is supposed to teach them ways of life.

Artist writes: Haft Peykar* is designed to resemble seven Alams*, the wooden pulleys are designed to carry them the sculptures on their shoulders, offering a deciphering of versatile mysteries; things we don’t know of, the world that we are not familiar with, beliefs that in this age and time are comical but knowingly or not we have always carried the burden, these sediments of haves and have nots that are residues of many centuries…

*HAFT PEYKAR, a famous romantic epic by Nezami of Ganja from the last decade of the 12th century. The title can be translated literally as “seven portraits,” but also with the figurative meaning of “seven beauties.” Both translations are meaningful and the poet doubtless exploited intentionally the ambiguity of the words.

*ALAMS are flags or metal banners of spiritual significance for the Shia Muslims, and are decorated with symbolic objects. Colorful Alams are carried in processions of Ashura.