« Aref-Adib Home » Art
March 12, 2008
January 14, 2008
Crack in Modern Art
January 10, 2008
Emin's meerkat look-alike
A meerkat family is one of the six shortlisted proposals that could occupy one of London's most popular tourist spots, Trafalgar Square.
The six shortlisted proposals for the next commission for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square were unveiled at the National Gallery. The exhibiting artists are Jeremy Deller, Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, Yinka Shonibare and Bob & Roberta Smith. Each artist has produced a maquette of their proposed artwork for the empty plinth. The models are on public display in the National Gallery until 30 March 2008.
>> View the proposed artworks here
June 06, 2007
skull
A diamante skull belt & Damien Hirst's diamond-encrusted human skull
Skulls are the hottest thing at the moment. Artist Damien Hirst has unveiled a diamond-encrusted human skull worth £50m. It said to be the most expensive piece of contemporary art.
March 07, 2007
Birds of War
The Birds of War exhibition was initiated by Tanya Tier to mark the 4th anniversary of the Iraq invasion. The exhibition is an opportunity to view a collaboration between British and Iraqi artists and their interpretations of the war.
>> The Birds of War website
Hawks, Doves and illegal Eagles
Candid Arts Trust
3 Torrens St, Islington, London Ec1v 1nq
April 11th - 17th, 2007
Mon-Fri 10am - 5pm
Sat-Sun 10am - 4pm
Admission Free
DICK CHENEY 12” x 12” Acrylic and oil on canvas by Tanya Tier
When Dick Cheney talks his lip curls into a snarl on one side and his left eye widens, resulting in half his face looking totally deranged.
November 03, 2006
Priceless
A work by Jackson Pollock has just become the most expensive painting sold.
>> Here is my mum's priceless Ashe Reshteh!
>> Here you can make your own Abstract Expressionist work
August 07, 2006
The New Gallery
July 16, 2006
Boundary Road
Painting by Yves Bélorgey of Boundary Road, Abbey Road NW8.
(September 2005 Oil on canvas, diptych. Archipeinture exhibition at Camden Art Centre).
And a photo I took today at Boundary Road.
June 13, 2006
Klee Look-alike
The Goldfish by Paul Klee [Swiss painter, 1879-1940] Oil and watercolor on paper, 49 x 69 cm , 1925 and a photo I took at London Aquarium.
May 30, 2006
Word into Art
Iranian sculptor Parviz Tanavoli & Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
Word into Art: Artists of the Modern Middle East is a new exhibition at the British Museum. The exhibition demonstrates the imaginative ways in which artists across the Middle East and North Africa are using the power of the written word in their art today. It includes wonderful examples of calligraphy transforming writing into art, books of poetry, and works which reflect current issues facing the modern Middle East. Sculptures in the British museum’s Great Court include works by Parviz Tanavoli.
April 28, 2006
April 11, 2006
Waterloo Bridge
This is another picture I took on the London's South Bank with my mobile phone.
And here is the same bridge by Claude Monet:
February 24, 2006
Rembrandt-Caravaggio Look-alikes
The 400th anniversary of the birth of Rembrandt is being marked at Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum. For the first time an exhibition is being devoted to two of the greatest painters: Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) and Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610). While the two artists never met, similarities are evident in their paintings such as their theatrical use of light and shade. Rembrandt studied Caravaggio's style with teacher Pieter Lastman, and all three painted The Sacrifice of Abraham. Caravaggio died four years after Rembrandt was born, but his works shows he learned much from his predecessor. The Rembrandt-Caravaggio exhibition runs from today to 18 June 2006.
>> Click here to compare the paintings!
February 09, 2006
December 23, 2005
December 06, 2005
Lion attacking an antelope
Diorama of a lion attacking an antelope and a stone relief on the western façade of the west staircase of the Palace of Darius at Persepolis.
Last week I went to Henri Rousseau's exhibition at Tate Modern. Rousseau created some memorable and great paintings. One of them is his painting The Hungry Lion 1905, which was based on the diorama of a lion attacking an antelope. This also reminds me of the stone reliefs at Persepolis.
November 30, 2005
Ashe kashke Pollock-e
Ashe kashke Pollock-e, bokhori pAteh nakhori pAteh!
My mum's Ashe Reshteh (persian noodle soup) and a Jackson Pollock's painting!
>> View larger image
If you like Abstract Expressionism, you might also like Koobism (Persian Cubism):
November 28, 2005
Sugar cubes look-alike
The picture on the right is of Rachel Whiteread's Embankment, the latest art installation to occupy Tate Modern's Turbine Hall.
Whiteread has created a labyrinth-like structure, made from 14,000 casts of the inside of different boxes, stacked to occupy Turbine Hall's huge space. Since the gallery opened in 2000, six artists have risen to the challenge of filling the 155 m x 35 m (500 ft x 115 ft) space.
>> More on Rachel Whiteread
November 11, 2005
November 03, 2005
A Modern Persian
Lapis lazuli head of a modern persian!
The Guardian and the British Museum hosted a public forum on what ancient Persia tells us about modern Iran on Tuesday October 18 2005.
>> You can listen to the full debate here.
October 05, 2005
Vettriano's secret
Works by Jack Vettriano, Scotland's most famous artist have fetched record prices at auction. But his paintings may owe a lot to teach-yourself manuals. Some of his works show strong similarities to an artist's teaching manual, it was reported yesterday. His most famous work, the Singing Butler, was last year sold for almost £750,000. It was revealed that its characters, and many others, can be found in The Illustrator's Figure Reference Manual, published in 1987.
September 13, 2005
The Persians are here!
Darius the London Bus driver.
The British Museum's Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient Persia stunning new exhibition reveals the power, magnificence and sophistication of the ancient Iran.
>> The Guardian Review
>> The Observer Review
>> The Times Review
August 24, 2005
June 25, 2005
June 01, 2005
May 31, 2005
Koobism
My favourite art form: Koobism!
Kebab Koobideh
4 Servings
500 grams ground lamb
2 large onions (grated)
1 large egg (beaten)
4 medium tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon sumac (optional)
Mix meat, onions, egg, salt and pepper well and leave in the refrigerator overnight.
Press the meat around long, thick metal skewers and shape evenly. Thread whole tomatoes on another skewer. Barbeque each side for about five minutes, turning frequently. If skewers are not available or barbequing is not possible, kabab-e koobideh can be shaped into long, thin portions on aluminum foil and grilled at high temperature in the oven. The oven should be pre-heated and kabab-e koobideh should be placed as high as possible near the source of the heat. Serve with hot pilau or bread. If serving with rice, some sumac may be sprinkled on top.
March 26, 2005
Before and After
The painting on the left is a watercolour I painted twenty years ago. The photo on the right was taken by Yousef (Joe) Aref-Adib last night!
February 25, 2005
Art/life imitates life/art
The picture on the right is taken recently in Bushehr (where Iran's Nuclear Power Station is located) and the one on the left is by artist Shirin Neshat.
February 04, 2005
Beuys & von Hagens
Joseph Beuys & Gunther von Hagens
Joseph Beuys (1921-86) is considered one of the most influential figures in modern and contemporary art. Joseph Beuys: Actions, Vitrines, Environments is at Tate Modern from today until 2 May. Gunther von Hagens dissects the bodies and wears a hat and vest that recalls Beuys.
December 27, 2004
Tsunami
Hokusai's most famous picture is a large wave that forms a yin to the yang of empty space—nature's yin and yang of life and death. According to Chinese philosophy all opposites that one experiences—health and sickness, wealth and poverty, power and submission—can be explained in reference to the temporary dominance of one principle over the other. All phenomena have within them the seeds of their opposite state and even though an opposite may not be seen to be present, no phenomenon is completely devoid of its opposite state. This is called presence in absence or as I see it we are all in a queue for the next big wave.
Worldchanging has just published a roundup of first-person accounts and news related to the tsunami disaster.
Wikipedia on the Indian Ocean earthquake.
December 08, 2004
Fountains
Marcel Duchamp's 1917 Fountain and the Iranian version.
Marcel Duchamp's Fountain, a 1917 porcerlain urinal, has been voted the most influential artwork of the 20th century, in a poll of Britain's art world. According to a British art expert the work reflects the dynamic nature of art today!
2. Picasso, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
3. Andy Warhol, Marilyn Diptych
4. Picasso, Guernica
5. Matisse, The Red Studio
6. Joseph Beuys, I Like America and America Likes Me
7. Constantin Brancusi, Endless Column
8. Jackson Pollock, One: No 31
9. Donald Judd, 100 untitled works in mill aluminium
10. Henry Moore, Reclining Figure 1929
November 19, 2004
Artists Look-alike
Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock
Pollock's major influence was Picasso. As you can see he was also influenced by Picasso's look!
October 11, 2004
The Power of Art
Picasso's Guernica still retains its power to offend and shock. According to Gijs van Hensbergen's new book Guernica: The Biography of a Twentieth-Century Icon, the United Nations in New York has a copy of it in tapestry. It hangs in a corridor outside the Security Council's meeting room, where it acts as a visible reminder of cruelty of war. Last year, however when Colin Powell attempted to persuade the UN into legitimising the war in Iraq the tapestry was suddenly covered!
This censorship recognises the great power of Art. “What the picture showed up,” says Van Hensbergen, “was the embarrassing contradiction of presuming to take the moral high ground while simultaneously campaigning for war”.
July 17, 2004
July 13, 2004
Turtle Art
Can you spot which painting is by a turtle and which is by Willem de Kooning?
Answer: The painting on the left is by a turtle and the one on the right is by Willem de Kooning.
May 20, 2004
Picasso's Face-lift
For the past six months, Picasso’s “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” has been undergoing a major restoration in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Read about it here.
February 27, 2004
Damien Hirst in Tehran
Shark & Kouseh
(Kouseh is Rafsanjani’s nickname. It is playing on the word kouseh which means both shark and beardless in Persian).
The Britart exhibition “Turning Points: 20th Century British Sculpture” has opened during the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, and just four days after national parliamentary elections. The exhibition is presenting a new generation of Iranians with original works of British art. Apparently the entire space of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art has given over to this exhibition.
February 17, 2004
My head
Mr Picasso Head website lets you paint your own Picassoesque portrait by offering a number of his motifs. It is a bit limited but still great fun!
February 03, 2004
Ghormeh Sabzi in V&A
After Campbell's Soup by Andy Warhol.
Last Friday night there was a feast of Iranian Contemporary Art and Food in V&A. The smell of ghormeh sabzi had filled the museum. Sadly it was so crowded that I missed the food, the dance and the fashion part of the programme. I managed to attend Abbas Kiarostami and Seifollah Samadian’s conversation with Geoff Andrew and watch two short films by Kiarostami -- Moonlight and the Lagoon. At the moment his choice of medium is digital video. Kiarostami himself shot the films in northern Iran, near the Caspian Sea. Apparently in Moonlight he tries to capture the relationship between frogs and the moon on a rainy night!
June 17, 2003
Similarities
I can see a lot of similarities between these two images. Both artists live and work in New York. The image on the right is by the Iranian artist Shirin Neshat and the one on the left is by the American artist Spencer Tunick.
June 12, 2003
BARE-CELONA
Spencer Tunick started "Nude Adrift", a world project, in 2001. His goal is to complete a body of work while travelling to all the continents. The project combined the artist's mass group installations, as well as a series of individual portraits. He has been documenting the live nude figure in public using photography and video since 1992 and has organised over 65 group installations. Last Sunday He beat his own record when 7,000 people posed nude for him in Barcelona.
June 08, 2003
British Museum
Today we went to British Museum and saw the exhibition " The Museum of the Mind: Art and memory in world cultures". The idea and concept was fine but the exhibition itself was just a mishmash of artefacts. The opening speech to the exhibition by Ben Okri is quite interesting.
We also had the chance to hold a genuine cuneiform clay tablet from ancient Mesopotamia, which was great! The cuneiform was used most extensively in the ancient Middle East. It was employed for writing a number of languages from about the end of the 4th millennium BC until about the 1st century BC. The earliest documents in cuneiform were written in Sumerian, the language of the inhabitants of southern Mesopotamia. Cuneiform writing was impressed onto clay tablets with a reed stylus.
April 17, 2003
Art Exhibitions
Today I went to two very different exhibitions:
V&A’s “THE ADVENTURES OF HAMZA” from Hamzeh-nameh.
Absolutely fantastic!
Serpentine Gallery's exhibition of German artist "Blinky Palermo".
Well it was interesting but not outstanding!
April 16, 2003
Poem
THE LEARNER
First I built on sand, then I built on rock.
When the rock caved in
I no longer built on anything.
Then I often built again
On sand and rock, as it came, but
I had learned.
Those to whom I had entrusted the letter
Threw it away. But those I paid no attention to
Brought it back to me.
Thereby I learned.
What I ordered was not carried out.
When I arrived I saw
It was wrong. The right thing
Had been done.
From that I learned.
The scars are painful
Now it is cold.
But I often said: only the grave
Will have nothing more to teach me.
Bertolt Brecht