Texas Archives - Morehshin Allahyari

Morehshin Allahyari - The Paintings of *George W Bush

August 14, 2014

The Paintings of *George W Bush (2014)

On April 5, 2014, George W Bush’s first public art exhibition was celebrated at his presidential library and museum in Dallas, Texas. The artists’ residency and art space known as CentralTrak, also in Dallas, Texas presented a companion exhibition in a nearby neighborhood on the same day. To honor the former president’s artistic achievements, artist/curators Morehshin Allahyari and Julie McKendrick organized a collaboration with “Children of Artemis – Sketch Cult” – a regularly assembled group of Dallas-based artists at CentralTrak who make art in a communal setting. The exhibition featured faithful reproductions of George W Bush’s paintings by the “Children of Artemis” as well as a personal appearance by *George W. Bush (in actuality a George W. Bush look-alike).

* Facsimiles presented in this exhibition are an homage to the benign art of George W Bush.

Morehshin Allahyari – The Paintings of *George W Bush

“The Paintings of *George W Bush”- Photos by Dean Terry and Andi Harman (All Rights Received)

Morehshin Allahyari - In The Realm of Rare and Analogous Accidents

December 28, 2012

In The Realm of Rare and Analogous Accidents (2013)

Found footage from Gholam Jandarm (1972) – Iran + Rio bravo (1959)- United States

Side by Side; Searching for a relationship that defines the states of belonging; The space in the middle. Questioning the power of the image… the image that guides us. The image that lies.

“Something is of course always lost when we get to see only one side. It is for the exact same reason that one must have the courage to confess the pain of the coma-like contrast of life and cinema. In this scenario, somehow we must put it all together to see the big picture; While in the state of unconsciousness, we are stuck at the thin edge of a screen where two worlds, two countries, and two cities separate for the sake of it. I feel helpless standing in the middle. In this chain of accidents, in this battle of guns and bombs, in the pile of my notes, thoughts, and nostalgic memories of Texas and Tehran, the world lacks trust in common sense.”

(From the text in the video).

Morehshin Allahyari - Your Night/My Day Project

February 8, 2012

Your Night / My Day Project (2011-2013)

Your Night/My Day is an online and digital intercultural collaborative art project between artists in Iran and the U.S. which began in the Fall of 2010. Curated by Morehshin Allahyari and Eden Ünlüata, this project explores the process of cultural exchange- or lack thereof – between Iran and the United States. The project employs digital media and online collaboration and serves as a bridge to create an intercultural dialogue and exhibition.

In Your Night/My Day, the process of art making is based on a series of invitations from the curators, called Inspiration Notes featuring topics that are commonly referenced in discussions about culture. Through the Inspiration Notes, teams in each country write instructions in their native language for the opposite team to perform and document. However, before the opposite team receives the instructions, they are sent electronically through an artist/editor from Turkey who put them through Google Translate (Farsi>Turkish>English / English>Turkish>Farsi) and edits them as she sees fit. The translated works then follow the same path back with the Turkish artist editing the artwork at will. Using this multi-part series, we are not only deciphering and depicting the nature of the dysfunctional dialogue between Iranian and American cultures, but through art, we are seeking to fnd paths that may lead to a better understanding of each other as human beings. Your Night/My Day presents the fruit of these two-years; a collection of intercultural pieces designed to celebrate cultural differences and find harmony through art. Participating artists are: Andrew Blanton, Negin Ehtesabian, Zeren Göktan, Patrick Lichty, Vana Nabipour, and Allie Pohl.

For the first time at the University of North Texas, Your Night/My Day displayed the result of this collaboration to the public, beginning March 22 until April 3 at UNT on the Square. Your Night/My Day will be on a travelling tour for the next one year. More info soon. For more information about this project please contact: morehshin@gmail.com or uneden@gmail.com.

***Your Night/ My Day has been brought to UNT by The Contemporary Arab and Muslim Cultural Studies Institute (CAMCSI). For more information about CAMCSI please visit the CAMCSI website or contact Tiffany Floyd.

Morehshin Allahyari – Your Night/My Day Project