Farshid Davoodi: Art means freedom

Farshid Davoodi: Art means freedom

Farshid Davoodi (source)

The Iranian painter, who opened an exhibition in Sofia together with his colleague Soudabeh Chalashtari, in April 2024 says that friendships beyond borders should be based on dialogue of civilizations

Vladimir Mitev

Farshid Davoodi is an Iranian painter and professor of art. He was born in 1978 in Tehran. He has an MA‌ degree from the Isfahan University of‌ Arts. He was professor at the Zanjan University of Art (2017-2019). He is currently an art teacher. 

Farshid Davoodi has had solo exhibitions in art galleries in Isfahan (2014), Tehran (2016, 2020, 2022), Bandar Anzali (2020). He has also participated in group exhibitions in Tehran (2015, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022), Isfahan (2017, 2018, 2019), Nepal (2019), Hong Kong (2022)

Farshid Davoodi and Soudabeh Chalashtari opened an exhibition, called “Clouds are absolutely free” in Gallery Intro in Sofia on 11 April 2024. The exhibition is part of the events, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Iranian Studies speciality at the University of Sofia. 

Dear Mr. Davoudi, you have an exhibition together with another Iranian painter in Sofia who has in its title a reference to clouds and freedom. What was your and your colleague’s message with this exhibition in Sofia? To what extent are the images and concepts of your art recognizable in Bulgaria and internationally?

First of all, I must thank all the friends whom I had the honor of meeting in Bulgaria and who made it possible for us to hold this exhibition, and I hope that this cooperation will continue. The world of art provides opportunities for us to freely depict our thoughts and ideas. The title of the exhibition “Clouds are absolutely free” is a reference to the fact that like clouds, we can move freely, but on the other hand, when we think carefully, the question arises in our mind whether clouds are absolutely free or are they influenced by various factors. What shapes them or moves them. At this stage, we enter the world of artwork. As artists, under the influence of what factors do we create our work? What geographical area do we live in? Does politics, economy and war have an effect on our artistic atmosphere? I think the answers to the questions are quite clear. Art can provide a new translation of the world. In truth, the only thing that can mean freedom is art. In the exhibition, there is a reference to a part of the poem of Mehdi Akhavan Sales, a contemporary poet of Iran:

Let’s go get our luggage

Let’s take a step on the path of no return

Let’s see if the sky is the same color everywhere.

I think the meaning of freedom can be understood in these few stanzas.

In other shows of your career as painter, you use concepts like rebirth, accumulation and integration of historical experience. You certainhly have philosophical, abstract thinking, which means that you are aware that concepts live through us, through our activity and through art. In recent times ”the historical experience” of our regions – the Black Sea region and the Middle East, has been related to wars. How is the contemporary time present in your art? Do you offer solutions to the problems of contemporary times or are the possible solutions something which each man and woman has to find alone and art is not meant to be an engaged guide to these solutions?

Yes, the concepts you mentioned exist in my works or rather in my life because I have lived with these concepts, in other words, contemporary man is exposed to information and codes, signs and news that affect all aspects of his life. It has made an impact and this is a new version of man who can see and analyze history. And newspapers can also be a tool to visualize the nature of history. The accumulation of newspapers means the accumulation of information, images, and codes that have been created abstractly in one place and time in one frame, and we can only translate and understand a part of these images and concepts. If I am not mistaken, you are asking me whether I have solved the problems of the contemporary era through what I do. I can only say that art is the only one that can bring us freedom and provide a new meaning for contemporary human life and be a common language between all cultures and ethnicities. Art is a message of friendship.

What experience have you had with Bulgarians and the people of our region – Southeastern Europe? How easy is it or is it even possible to make a natural friendship between Iranians and us, a friendship that has internal drive and is not meant to be “a political friendship” aimed against a common enemy?

It really made me proud that I was able to get to know the people and culture of this land and to find close and warm friends and how beautiful that this was possible through art, and this itself is a proof of the importance of art and a common language between the two lands. Friendships should be based on culture and dialogue between civilizations.

It is a novel of the great Bozorg Alavi – Her Eyes, in which a painter plays an important role. In this novel, art and art people have the role of the supporters of freedom and hope in a gloomy world. Is Alavi’s message about art and the people of art still valid in today’s times? Does art continue to hold the key to freedom and social transformation?

As I mentioned before, art is a window to give meaning and translate the world we live in. The story of Her Eyes of the great Bozorg Alavi has depicted for the audience a part of the world in which the author had lived experience, and in the same story, we get to know the problems and events of the society of that time in the form of a love story, which the author artistically expresses. It has been discussed that it is the promise of liberation and freedom and the changes and transformations of the society of that era.

Photo: The poster for the exhibition (source: Facebook)

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