Opening on 6th March 2020

Tower of Babel is a continued tale of world conflict, of desires to understand and appreciate differences in the human race, and then the race’s inability to make it so. A rotating tale of hope and despair.
The people of the world speak different languages as they are incapable of truly appreciating the “other” it is completely possible that if we spoke the same language, we probably would have had more wars on our hands. The myth itself is confused and contorted and does not tally with the linguistic history of the world nor with the realities of physics and mathematics.
Allahyar Najafi’s Tower of Babel illustrates the ugliness and confusion in our modern-day cities in Iran and, indeed, those of the world. He brings down the very idea of Iran as the land of “Gohar“ and roses and nightingales. Facing up the realities of our life, the artist depicts a near end of the world imagery that, in its roughness, is beautiful. This is not a gate of god, nor is it seven levels of self-discovery, and it totally defies similar implications. It has its roots in plain, simple, unruly, and uninspiring urbanism: one that takes shape when the intellect is pushed aside, and greed, poverty, and despair triumph.
This series of works is about re-finding ideals by looking at the reality on the ground. Even in the choice of materials used: bits and pieces of artist’s photographs, found images, and cello tape, this act of reshaping and redefining is evident. Artist is not a daydreamer. He is here to remind us of what is truly distasteful in our lives. To show that greed that has been destroying our habitat -among other things- and lack of self-reflection is the driving force in our modern-day life, especially in our land where junkyards look better than most of our urban scenery.
Allahyar Najafi is a poet confounded with urbanism and struggles to find meaning in a land of misperception and distrust. He creates a world that is terrifying in its depth but still very pleasing to look at.
Passing through despair makes other things possible, and new dreams take shape. Having no expectation is a position of strength, possibility, hope, and future that might as yet be conceivable.
Nazila Noebashari