Guided tour of the exhibition “Art Brut of Iran”

At a time when art brut is considered an invaluable artistic heritage, we discover that it knows no limits, whether historical, cultural, formal or geographical. The recent irruption of Iranian art brut on the international scene demonstrates this and contributes to taking this artistic phenomenon beyond its original Western roots. Whether in developed countries or in regions of the world still attached to vernacular knowledge, creators who break with social norms or who experience a feeling of inner exile will always have privileged access to non-ordinary realities, to mental, cultural, ethical and therapeutic resources that are unexploited or devalued by their culture. In a country like Iran, where culture is shaped by the religious heritage of Zoroastrianism and Sufism, by its literature rich in great epics and mystical poetry, by the refinement of its architecture and gardens, by its artisanal and decorative traditions of weaving, miniature and calligraphy, the rule of art brut is not thwarted. The twenty-four artists presented in the exhibition demonstrate this. For some, rootedness in a culture three thousand years old is recomposed, transformed or diverted into imaginary constructions. A heritage restitution of sorts, through which they seize certain elements of the history and culture that surround them to reconstruct, in a surprising visual language, their personal mythology. Others, exclusively focused on their inner vision, construct enigmatic self-referential cosmogonies, infinite universes contained in their own internal laws.
Functioning as a dissonant harmony of singularities, the creators brought together for the duration of the exhibition, invite us to believe in the regenerative power of creative fiction. Infusing the imagination that opens up to the dreamlike adventure is a necessary process to reinvent life, revive meaning, renew possibilities so that humans continue to dream, build and survive.
– Martine Lusardy, Director and Curator of Exhibitions