An exhibition featuring 100 artists from over 20 nations, including Iran, is on display at the Blue Ash College Art Gallery, University of Cincinnati, Ohio, in the US.
Tilted ‘Dada Lives!’, the exhibition celebrates the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Dada movement in 1916.
The Dada movement, also referred to as Dadaism, was in reaction to World War I and the nationalism that many believed led to the war. It used a wide range of art forms to mock materialistic and nationalistic attitudes, including collage, painting, performance art, poetry, photography and sculpture.
Reza Rafiei Rad is the only Iranian artist at the event. Although basically a painter, he has three photos on display at the show. Describing his works, he said, “I took three photos from a conceptual installation and sent them to the event. The photos have a feminist approach and deal with women’s rights,” Honaronline quoted him as saying.
Rafiei Rad, 42, is a painter whose field of interest is abstract expressionism. His works have been showcased at several solo and group exhibitions in Iran, Turkey and the US. He has also translated a book into Farsi titled ‘Art in Postmodern Situation’ published by Dastan Publications in 2010.
The centennial exhibition was organized and curated by H. Michael Sanders, professor of electronic media at UC Blue Ash. He notes that Dada is one of the most pervasively influential forces in contemporary art. “Dada forms the foundation for most of the visual art practices from the modernist period onward including surrealism, pop art, performance, conceptual art and much more,” says Sanders.
Just a small sample of the items featured includes more than 120 two-dimensional works of art, over 30 sculptures, countless videos and more. The exhibit will continue till June 3.
