Ali Akbar Safaian — ERBE

About

What remains when a person is suddenly torn from their living environment? As a dissident, Ali Akbar Safaian had to flee Iran in 1986 after taking a stand against both the Shah's regime and the Islamic revolution.

Erbe (Heritage) presents works from the painter's and sculptor's younger creative phase, and explores what remains as heritage, and what is handed over in the face of political persecution and flight. In the relief series of the same name, which Safaian has been working on since 2006, he reflects on his experiences as an artist in exile who had to leave his homeland.

There are no longer any signs of human existence in the works shown; they contain a post-humanistic character. Against political repression and flight, the artist searches for a language that cannot be uprooted because it is above space and origin. In this context, roots become a formal language of Safaian, which can be visibly traced in many of his works.

The exhibition opens on March 10 and on March 31, 2023 Ali Akbar Safaian will talk about his experiences as an artist under two dictatorships in a reading followed by an artist talk.