Interview with Aria Eqbal & Hamidreza Karami:

Art dubai narrated by aria galley

Art Fairs Promote Iranian Art and Culture

TEHRAN (Iranart) - Art Dubai is a leading international art fair that takes place twice a year in Dubai. Founded in 2007, Art Dubai is the preeminent platform to see art from the Middle East and North Africa. Each year, the fair features a globally diverse lineup of over 90 galleries from different countries, from household names to emerging art spaces. Alongside its gallery halls, Art Dubai’s programming includes commissioned artists’ and curators’ projects, residencies, and an annual exhibition of works by winners and so on.

Last March, 10 galleries from Iran were attending. Aria Gallery was one of the participants in modern art section - featuring art by Garnik Der Hacoupian and Sonia Balasanian. Following is Honaronline’s interview with curator Aria Eqbal and Hamidreza Karami, the gallery’s director for international affairs:

You once had a project called A Review of Iranian Modern Art at your gallery. You even featured works by modernist artists in four separate shows. Why Iranian modern art?

Eqbal: We have been focusing our efforts on the project for the past four years now. The first exhibition featured art by Sirak Melkonian. Right from the start, I insisted this should be an art review exhibit. The plan was to continue the trend with other artists as well.

The first exhibition proved difficult for Melkonian. His works were sitting there in a warehouse for almost 60 years. Melkonian wanted to show them in a group exhibition. Some of the paintings works were not in good shape at all. We spent four and a half months repairing and restoring them. It was a difficult task but in the end it paid off.

We wanted to continue this review project with other Iranian artists as well. We came up with a long list of names before choosing Bahman Mohasses. We exhibited his works in the second exhibition. We didn’t have to repair his paintings but they were expensive to get our hands on. Gallery owners didn’t want to sell them. In the end, some 10,000 people visited our exhibition.

The third edition went to Behjat Sadr. Her daughter had the works and none of them were for sale. We spent a fortune to bring them back to Iran from France. The fourth edition had to be about an unknown artist. We went for Garnik Der Hacoupian who hadn’t exhibited his paintings seriously in forty years. No one knew him, let alone his art. The exhibition was a hit given the fact that he had always tried to remain anonymous.

After the revolution of 1979 Der Hacoupian stayed out of the limelight. Why did he do that?

Eqbal: The truth is, if we hadn’t gone after him, he would have never bothered to exhibit his paintings at any time. My sense is that no one had ever tried to approach him all these years. We had to do it for him as he was not in the mood at all. He had been sick for a long period of time and always preferred to invest his time and energy on painting and not on exhibiting. We never tried to put pressure on him during the exhibition. He was only there as a councilor.

How was the exhibition?

Eqbal: It was a blast. It was a joint project by Aria and Mah Mehr galleries. We even published a book about his art that sold like cup cakes. We have decided to republish the book because it makes economic sense and is a valuable experience for other gallery owners. Our goal is to pave the way for others to follow.

You are the director of international affairs for the gallery. How long does it take for you to apply and take part in Art Dubai?

Karami: Just like any other international art fair it all starts with a call for registration online. Some of the factors that could affect their decision is the history of gallery, goals and focus, financial success, innovation, knowledge and taste in art. The venue has a limited space and not all galleries are usually invited. If they accept your proposal it will take some time to get the invitation and the contract in two categories of modern and contemporary arts.

Eqbal: It takes time and money to take part in any art fair. They take no commissions and their income comes from renting out spaces and finding sponsors. Art Dubai is one of the best in the world when it comes to finding sponsors. There are four or five jury members in modern and contemporary arts. Sometimes you have to send them five proposals to get an endorsement. There were 44 galleries in last year’s contemporary art, with only 16 galleries in modern art. The emphasis is on exhibiting art that has been created between 1940 and 1980 period. This year artworks created by 2000 will also take part.

Why did you decide to take part in Art Dubai?

Eqbal: I had a meeting with Myrna Ayad, the director of Art Dubai, in Tehran last year. She invited me because my gallery was exhibiting Iranian modern art. We had little time to arrange everything. I turned it down and gave her my reasons. She was persistent. She emailed me couple of times to convince me to change my mind. Karami was in Dubai at the time. He had a meeting with the organizers and after that they arranged for my participation.

Why did you turn down their invitation first time?

Eqbal: We used to have successful exhibits in Dubai some 20 years ago. At that time, there were few art exhibitions and galleries in Dubai and certainly fewer Iranian galleries. Almost at the same time many galleries had popped up in Tehran. I don’t like competition. I just want to focus on my own work. I decided to stay here and continue. I explained to Ayad that I didn’t like to see a lot of movers and shakers in one place. That’s all really.

Then why did you change your mind?

Eqbal: It had to do with Karami. We have been close associates for many years now. He convinced me to take part. Ayad finally convinced me too. After all, being in the modern art section of Art Dubai was important to me. This is because the event used to have only a single section called contemporary art.

You decided to exhibit paintings by Iranian-Armenian artists Garnik Der Hacoupian and Sonia Balasanian. Tell us why?

Eqbal: We wanted artists that could match and complete each other. Hacoupian was not a well-known artist. He was both a good and a bad choice for us. Good because by taking part in the exhibition we could promote his art globally. Bad because buyers had already done their homework and knew what they were going to buy at the exhibition. That said, he is a modern artist and deserved to be there.

Karami: We did the right thing. They made the exhibition much more interesting. Iran is a Muslim country and not many good things are said about it in the Arab media. The presence of Iranian-Armenian artists in the exhibition attracted the attention of many. The picture we depicted there about Iran was that of an all-inclusive and all-encompassing society.

Not many galleries in Iran have a clear policy and goal. Is it easy for them to also take part in Art Dubai?

Karami: In the eyes of organizers, Art Dubai is not just a market but an organization active in training people to see art through the eyes of an artist. This year the organizers held a symposium to discuss modernism and women. This could help uplift the cultural aspects of the event to a great extent. Not many Iranian galleries have their own defined rules and goals, let alone policies and plans. They don’t even know which artists they should choose for Art Dubai and what art.

Eqbal: This is a tough job and little can be made after so much hard work. You can only spend this much from your own pocket to stay afloat. After that you will have to shutter down the gallery and find another job. There are a handful of gallery owners that are familiar with the trend and know how to stay in the game despite near to the ground returns.

How many Iranian galleries took part in Art Dubai?

Karami: There were 16 galleries in modern art from 12 countries, of which three were from Iran – Aria, Shirin and Shahrivar. In contemporary art section, there were 78 galleries from 44 counties, of which six were from Iran – Mohsen, Khak, Zirzamin Dastan, O, Ab Anbar, and A. J. Their collections were topnotch and they knew what they were for in Art Dubai.

Taking part in international art fairs; does it help to top up your credit as a gallery owner?

Eqbal: Those who do well can also top up their credit internationally. The name alone is not going to increase your credit. What’s important is how you perform there. We have always tried to do our homework and research before taking part in any art fair. Somewhere along the way, you will always make a mistake, always. All you need to do is minimize your mistakes.

Karami: If you have what it takes to take part in a leading international art fair, then you should. All you need to do is stand shoulder-to-shoulder with others. The Iranian galleries taking part in this year’s Art Dubai did a fine job in general. They knew their craft and they knew how to compete. Their presence in the leading international art fair can help promote their galleries and at the same time Iran’s art and culture. It was the belief of many visitors and organizers that despite some difficulties, the Iranian galleries featured some of the best artworks in the international art market.