Rebel Jester Mystic Poet | Contemporary Persians

Neil Koenig, ex BBC producer and current ideaXme board advisor and guest interviewer, interviews Mohammed Afkhami, philanthropist and art collector.

If asked to name a country associated with modern art, few people today might think of Iran. The collector Mohammed Afkhami is working hard to change that perception.

In this age that we are in now anything that promotes misunderstood or unknown cultures is a plus. In recent years he has amassed a large collection of Iranian art. Mr Afkhami says his love of art began at an early age: “we used to visit my grandfather's house multiple times a week, and he collected Islamic art and antiquities, Western artworks, Japanese lacquer…it was a fascinating and enchanting house of treasures”. He left Iran as a young child, after the revolution at the end of the 1970s. After embarking on a successful career in finance, he eventually returned in the early 2000s. “It felt like coming home” he explains. Mohammed Afkhami was surprised and delighted by the quality of contemporary art available, even though there were only a small number of galleries open at the time in Tehran. He bought works by Sirak Melkonian and Massoud Arabshahi for around $500 apiece. Since then, the collection has grown to include works by artists such as Shirin Neshat, Monir Farmanfarmaian, Parviz Tanavoli, Abbas Kiarostami and many more. What is the art scene like in Iran today? According to Mr Afkhami it is thriving, despite the impact of sanctions. There are now hundreds of galleries in Tehran, he says: “an artist is lucky to have a show that lasts longer than a month, because there's such a backlog of artists wanting to exhibit”. In an interview with me for ideaXme, Mohammed Afkhami talks about his passion for his country’s art, how he built his collection and how he works with artists and galleries, and how art can serve to broaden understanding and break down cultural barriers. “Rebel, Jester, Mystic, Poet: Contemporary Persians—The Mohammed Afkhami Collection”, can be seen at the Asia Society in New York until May 2022. Drawing from the collection of financier and philanthropist Mohammed Afkhami, the exhibition comprises paintings, sculptures, photographs, and videos. Of the 23 participating artists, over a third live in Iran, over a third live outside of Iran, and five live in New York City. These established, mid-career, and emerging artists are working from unique vantage points, informed by a rich cultural heritage as well as more recent extensive social and political unrest in Iran. Referencing “contemporary Persians,” the exhibition’s title evokes an ancient culture that is still very much alive today. The curator of the exhibition is Dr. Fereshteh Daftari.

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