Of Being and Singing is commissioned by Hadi Mozaffari of the Visual Arts Affair Office and organized by Mehdi Afzali, the CEO of Institute of Contemporary Arts Developments. The program will showcase works by Reza Lavassani, Samira Alikhanzadeh and Ali Meer Azimi. The exhibition opens to the press on May 8 and to the public on May 11 at Fondanco Marcello, a known space next to Rialto.

Based on the 58th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, May You Live in Interesting Times, of Being and Singing is homage to life and precious moments of the past, present and future. The exhibition carries a message of peace from the cultural and artistic scene of Iran, a message seldom relayed to the world by contemporary media.
Representing Iran are three artists hailing from various disciplines who magnify the glory of being and time, identity and memory, reality and dreams. Challenging the cliché notions of Iranian art as mostly composed of local elements and motifs, these artists represent the universal aspects of Iranian art through their artistic terminology.

Samira Alikhanzadeh (1967) is scheduled to showcase a collection of digital prints created based on a series of old family photos.

Tehran-born and based, Reza Lavassani (1962), practices on various media. He began working on the installation Life in 2012 and worked on the piece for more than three years. Through a deliberate choice of papier-mâché, the artist underlines the literal and symbolic significance of recycling. The piece is a lyric narrative of life’s splendor and glory and an emblematic visualization of the passage of time. The awe-inspiring presentation, executed in Lavansani’s signature aesthetic language, portrays the artist’s belief in recreation and the eternal cycle of life. Life is a focus on theatricality of sculpture and installation.