Contemporary Art

The collected series contains various works of contemporary art. Some of the artworks belong to prominent and well-established artists which naturally have a place in any valuable art collection. Other collected artworks belong to artists who have created their work in a manner different from the mainstream, non-conformed to contemporary practices.

Collecting artwork was initiated by the art sponsor, collector, and cultural manager of the Lajevardi Foundation, Ehsan Lajevardi. In recent years, his activities as an art graduate have included setting up exhibitions of a wide range of artists, publishing books, and creating opportunities for research and experiment in the contemporary art sphere. The approach of collecting artworks in the Lajevardi Foundation mirrors the collector’s personal view and interests, and the enjoyment of gathering artworks with distinct ideas behind them, while paying close attention to significant and thought-provoking works of art.

(featured exhibition) — o gallery, summer 2020 · 20 works

Nūr

Nūr is a selection of the Lajevardi Foundation art collection, consisting of 20 pieces by Iranian contemporary artists from the early 1970s to the early 2010s. In this exhibition, the collector appears as the author and presents the audience with pieces that have been placed next to each other considering a metaphorical and philosophical concept such as “light.” This collection was exhibited in “O Gallery” in the summer of 2020.

Artworks exhibited in the Nūr collection bring out multi-layered, deep, and complex stimulations. Each of these pieces in a way represents creation, the sublime, existence, immortality, stagnation, chaos, or change. What they have in common is the preservation and accumulation of artistic imagination as a means of transcending and transforming the sublime and abstract categories into conceptual and objective phenomena. The display talks about society today and the rediscovery of metaphysics, and indicates that there are realities beyond everyday life which affect and enrich our thoughts, experiences, and feelings.

— from the nūr collection

Babak Etminani | Untitled | Acrylic on canvas | 180 × 180 cm | 2009

“Light” Is the Language of Symbols and Spiritual Metaphors

“Light” is the language of symbols and spiritual metaphors. Its perceptible meaning is light and its figurative meaning is reminiscent of concepts such as clear and obvious. The word introduces a multi-faceted metaphor that reflects in terms like existence, being, reality, spirit, divinity, knowledge, and science.

According to old texts and esoteric literature, the manifestation of divinity and the sublime in their most familiar forms occurs through light. Light is defined as a force that regulates turmoil. It has the power to visualize the world, and is equivalent to concepts such as balance, stability, and transition. Light moves between ideas, patterns, and objects, linking them together. This movement is the initiation of coming out of darkness and achieving transparency and balance.

Light and darkness are two concepts that both have traces of the other. These two forces are the basis of philosophical dualism in our world. Light initiates life, enlightens, and raises awareness. In contrast, darkness is equivalent to dimness, absence, and an atmosphere full of ambiguity and bewilderment. These two forces are never separated and each can be understood in opposition to the other.