Gonbad-e-Kaboud
© Musée d'art moderne de Paris / Exposition : "Iran, Unedited History, 1960 - 2014"
Presentation of the association
Gonbad-e-Kaboud, The cultural association was created in 2019 for the cultural exchange
between Iran and France.
Gonbad-e-Kaboud represents and accompanies the artists and actors of todays cultural
scene in Iran.
Gonbad-e-Kaboud tries to establish the links between its actors on the international scene
and to give them a more active and dynamic presence.
It has represented several artists at different institutions, presenting modern and contemporary
artworks to institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, National Museum of Modern Art
(Centre Georges Pompidou), Museum of Decorative Arts, and International Art Biennials.
Today, Gonbad-e-Kaboud continues to assist the authors and cultural institutions in terms of
consulting as well as proposals for exhibitions or the acquisition of works of art.
In 2020-2021 Gonbad-e-Kaboud presents the exhibition of StudioKargah at the International
Biennal of Design Graphique at Chaumont.
In 2021 Gonbad-e-Kaboud has accompanied the project of Tehran Now at Asia Now International
Art Faire at Paris.
In 2022 Gonbad-e-Kaboud organised the inedit event of Beaux-Livres de Téhéran at Ithaque Paris.
Exhibitions and events
For more information on current exhibitions and events, join us on our Instagram page:
Musée des Arts Décoratifs
Musée des Arts Décoratifs
Ithaque Paris, chambre noire
Le droit des œuvres audiovisuels et cinématographiques à l'air numérique
Le droit de l'art urbain
Le droit du marché de l'art
Musée: Le Signe, Chaumont
Musée: Le Signe, Chaumont
On the exhibition Kenophobic City tales featuring work by StudioKargah, by its curattor, Samira Kaveh.
In 2001 two recent graduates of the Teheran fine arts school made their debut on the city's art scene by forming a two person team working out of the basement of an abandoned downtown building. They called it Kargah, or Studio in Farsi, Graphic design became their primary means of expres
sion, a way to fulfill their desire to make art in a society un dergoing social, political and cultural change. This exhibition presents the fruit of two decades of work. It is divided into three parts: The City, Tales and Horror of the Void (Kenophobia). The diverse forms of expression meant to materialize
these two artists' ideas are inevitably marked by the impact of the capital city and its omnipresent influence on Iranian urbanity and lifestyles. Viewers find themselves bathed in an atmosphere created by a complex and dynamic ecosystem where forms appear and disappear. This art functions as a kind of immune system to ward off oblivion, erasure and the break down and corruption of an inherited historical visual culture. It produces and documents beautiful, detailed, well-thought out and precise images that absorb the reigning turmoil and contributes to the creation of images born of the dissimulated artistic desires of the people.
Iranian literature is indissociably linked with daily life, the street and the bazar. The narration and reading of Persian tales are integral to their work, which emphasizes the nature of literature as a simultaneously very personal and very popular means of communication. Their choice of Persian literature and folktales as a starting point to express themselves and their passion through graphic art is all the more appropriate be cause of that art form's more popular, resistant and Oriental character. These mute images resonate with the everyday struggles of Iranian citizens and artists. Here graphic design becomes a means of delivering these messages in response to the oppressive and intrusive climate and makes it possible to preserve and transmit the country's artistic heritage.
With their work infused with history, narratives and a con temporary life saturated with images, Kargah offfers us a profound vision of a resistant and sometimes critically threat ened visual culture. These fragments of images thus allow us to visualize chaotic and sumptuous truths. The fear of oblivion and disappearance, the reference to the horror of a void (Kenophobia) associated with Iranian visual culture, produces images full of forms stolen from history: a visual excitement that makes it possible to fill up the space and accumulate im ages on top of images to display and bear witness to this part of history, to the joy, nostalgia and dreams of a people.