Exhibition
Text
DEEVAN* Ball
Manifesto
About
Contact
DEEVAN*
Project by Ayan Rezaei
Opening 8.10.2024 @7 pm
Exhibition 8.10.2024. 1.11.2024
@Kunstraum Memphis
In the ancient cultures of Iran and India, the “Deev” (demon) is a creature with two distinct meanings. The original meaning as the “Daiwa” or “deva”, connects to light and inspiration, while later on in Iran, in order to achieve political independence and power, the Deev became a symbol of darkness and chaos. In old folklore literature they are described as human-like creatures with horns, tail, and protruding teeth, emerging at night and drawing power from darkness. They were interfering with everyday life and often blamed for loss or mysterious events. Even until today, people would attribute their fears, failures, and misfortunes—those events that defied logical explanation—to the Deevs. This is similar to the role of the Greek gods played in ancient mythology, where they were used to explain natural phenomena and unpredictable events. These figures provided a way for people to make sense of the chaos around them, offering explanations for occurrences beyond human control or understanding.
DEEVAN* represents "queer citizens" worldwide—immigrants whose identities, like those of Deevs, are marked by ambiguity. They face the same mechanism of fear of the unknown, viewed as distant and inaccessible, with their thoughts and identities remaining unfamiliar and out of reach.
The juxtaposition of these terms is not meant to imply similarity, but to critically explore the complexities of identity caused by migration. DEEVAN* are artists who inhabit the liminal space where cultures intersect, continually navigating the complexities of uncertainty and transformation. In this ambiguity, they confront some of the profound questions about existence, belonging, and contradictions within society.
To move beyond stereotypes and offer a fresh perspective on the new generation of diaspora artists, it's essential to create spaces that welcome the emergence of the unknown and the uncharted. DEEVAN* come together, take over exhibitions, strip them of older definitions, and reinvent them over and over again.
Artists: Anton Filchakov, Reihaneh Hosseini, Mona Janmohamadi, Hedieh Khajehzadeh, Ahoo Maher, Aftab Maher, Vahid Qaderi, Ayan Rezaei, Tanya Shtykalo
The DEEVAN* exhibition, in collaboration with the Vienna-based ĀNN Verein, hosted the project ‘Art & Exchange in the Diaspora’ to showcase its artworks.
Cooperation artists: Iklim Dogan, Shirin Farshbaf, Anne Glassner, Sepideh Hassani, Anahita and Munira
Iklim Doğan
Homage to our mothermothers – a collective stitching experience
In the textile work, landscapes, memories and dreams from a distant time and place are sewn onto traditionally coloured fabric that the mothers and grandmothers have brought with them in their carrier bags. In several workshops, participants were invited to expand the work and sew in memories of their grandmothers in a collective sewing experience.
Anne Glassner
SPEED III
... is a small-scale figure of the artist in a typical sleeping position, dressed in a car racing suit—a concept that originated from a project in a car factory in 2018. Sleep has long been a central theme in her artistic practice, often expressed through "sleep performances." Anne Glassner's work consistently explores the boundaries between self-perception and how others perceive
us, as well as the intersections of intimacy and public space. The theme of identity, particularly in relation to sleep, plays a pivotal role for the artist, who grew up in the Waldviertel region and discovered her Armenian roots at the age of 35.
Hedieh Khajehzadeh / I-ID
untitled (from the series "Vertigo")
The characters in Hedieh Khajehzadehs work, developed over
the years, have taken on their own symbolic and poetic identities. Emerging from deeply personal and paradoxical moments of their life, they express themselves in ways that grow increasingly clear and direct. "Vertigo" series, since 2014, represents this exploration, bringing forth personalities that question the nature of reality, identity, and the spaces we inhabit, both mentally and physically.
Anahita and Munira
Nag* Nool // Woman* Life Freedom: Diasporic Legacies through Music
... is an video installation that explores the transnational and intergenerational legacies of musical heritage within Somali and Iranian diasporic communities. By weaving together video and sound, the installation critically examines how transnational identities are shaped in part by music produced in the diaspora since the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the beginning of Somalia's civil war in the late 1980s/ early 1990s. The work also questions the very practices of archiving and cultural preservation, high- lighting the silent gaps and transformations that occur between generations. Rooted in the shared diasporic experiences of
the artists, the project challenges notions of authenticity, rep- resentation, and belonging, offering a space for reflection on how traditions evolve and new forms of expression emerge.
Sepideh Hassani
untitled
The project explores the political and aesthetic aspects of hair by combining it with the robustness of steel, juxtaposing these seemingly opposing elements. The choice of steel as a medium not only evokes notions of endurance and resistance but also serves as a metaphor for the resilience and strength of women.
Mona Janmohamadi
Wondrous Creatures
„Diaspora" explores the concept of dispersion, migration, and the reconstruction of identity in new spaces. In the collection of *wondrous creatures*, these beings, created from a fusion of multiple bodies and heads, represent human identity and hidden surveillance in modern societies. The symbolic creatures portray individuals who, despite significant changes in their living environments, remain trapped by unseen gazes and controls.
These works align with Foucault's theory of the "Panopticon,"
where constant, invisible surveillance compels individuals toward self-regulation and submission to an unseen power. These wondrous creatures, however, are both the watched and the watchers, simultaneously. They also evoke Iranian myths, such as the "Simurgh," a being that gathers scattered identities into
one unified body. This unified body, despite its diversity and dispersion, and under social and political surveil- lance, is dynamically and beautifully reconstructed.
Ahoo Maher, Aftab Maher, Ayan Rezaei, Reihaneh Hosseini
DEEVAN*
Four DEEV*s resemble a bureaucratic system, challenge the meanings and assumptions deeply rooted in our minds and create a sense of uncertainty. Distorted self-image, twisted portraits and alienation are expected to arise by participating in the performance.