Tehran is a different kind of Megalopolis
By Amirali Ghasemi

Tehran is a different kind of Megalopolis. It is said to have one of the most dynamic art scenes in the Middle East, even as the city itself deals with a rudimentary public transport system, an exploding population crisis, and an ever-increasing sprawl of mass housing: an unsightly city of experimental architecture that swallows entire villages and towns without offering them any sort of public services.

In such a complicated urban situation, which, according to experts, has already spiraled out of control, artists’ societies in Tehran continue to hold numerous biennials in semi-tribal fashion. 95% are government-sponsored projects, whose outlook and premises can shift 180 degrees from one year to the next. Each community has its own ceremonies (painters, calligraphers, sculptors, etc.), destroying any sense of solidarity that might exist among artists. The Tehran Visual Art Festival, The Calligraphy Biennial, The Sculpture Biennial, The Cartoon Biennial, The Painting Biennial of the Islamic World, The Graphic Design Biennial, The Poster Biennial, The Children’s Book Illustration Biennial, The Painting Biennial, The Poster Biennial and The Poster Biennial of the Islamic World… the list is endless.

Although the history behind the legendary "TEHRAN BIENNIAL" goes back to 50 years ago, not even a single one of those mentioned above can be considered as a biennial by "the global standards"(!). An artists’ society recently published a call to boycott the upcoming Painting Biennial in order to demand a professionally curated exhibition, protesting the open call process and a “jury” that they find unacceptable. But it seems impossible to have a proper Tehran biennial in Tehran.

So our sprawling city and its elitist art scene remain excluded from the " highly competitive art market" of the region, despite being surrounded from all sides by lucrative biennials and auctions. We may have great artists living and working in Iran, but we still don’t have a share of the profits. Tehran, one must suppose, is not interested in presenting herself as a perfect destination for cultural tourism, in playing it as cool as other global cities, in scrambling to be hip by coughing up the fee for membership in the international art market.

So to jumpstart the process, and after a long discussion with my friend Serhat Koksal — who is pretty critical of the global biennialisation process —We decided to curate a mini-Tehran biennial on the move. To stop complaining about the current situation and to use the advantage of it, to have independent low budget, travelling exhibition which can be presented almost anywhere, we will travel like nomads, carrying artworks/objects/texts in a package no bigger than a medium-sized suitcase, preferably less than 20 kg, so they can be carried on to any cheap flight.

The theme of this biennial is URBAN JEALOUSY. A Jalousie (“jealousy” in French) is a window that one can see through but not be seen; barriers that allow us to observe the world without being invited to the table. Iranian artists are given an understanding of what goes on in the world without being offered a single opportunity to communicate their thoughts -- outside of our very own jalousie window: a rigid ethnic frame within an extremely politicized context.

+) Amirali Ghasemi: HOME
+) Martin Krusche: Wir Kinder der Barbaren (Erinnerung, Wahrheit und Vision)

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