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Babak Kazemi
b. 1983, Iran

Babak Kazemi, born in Ahvaz, Iran in 1983, comes from a new generation of Iranian photographers. From a young age, Kazemi obtained the classical skills of photography by self-instruction. Traditional techniques and his experimentation with chemicals – often likened to that of an alchemist – continue to dictate his production. Kazemi explores the history of the province of Khuzestan in which he grew up, focusing on the impact of oil production on the region.

In 2012 he was awarded the Magic of Persia residency at the Delfina Foundation in London, his work has been featured in collections at the Maraya Art Centre, The Museum of Contemporary Art Tehran, The Museum of War in Tehran and in the private collection of Sheikh of Sharjah in UAE and in the collection of the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago. He most recently completed a six week artist residency in Lebanon’s first artist residency of its kind, Beirut Art Residency (BAR).

Credentials

International solo exhibitions
International group exhibitions
Art fair participant
Biennale participant

Series Statement

The name of this series is Exit of Shirin & Farhad which comes from a very old famous, tragic and romantic legend of a love triangle. The story of Shirin and Farhad involves a tragic love triangle. Farhad (a stone mason) and King Khosrow are both in love with the beautiful Shirin. Shirin knows of Farhad’s love and uses this to make the King jealous. As a result, the King tries to get rid of Farhad by assigning him an impossible task: to win Shirin’s hand, he must remove a mountain. However, Farhad’s love is stronger than either Shirin or the King had imagined, and he takes on the task with zeal. Amazed at the reports of Farhad’s progress, Shirin travels to the mountain to see it for herself. After the long journey, though, she faints with fatigue, and Farhad puts both Shirin and her horse on his shoulders and carries them back to the palace. It is this scene that traditional Shirin and Farhad miniature paintings focus on.

Babak Kazemi revisits this 16th-century tragedy in order to comment on the contemporary struggle of lovers who must leave their homelands to find the freedom to love. For him, the story reveals the historical roots of what we know today as forced migration and immigration. The figure of King Khosrow also provides him with a potent symbol for the kind of emotional control and suppression that men and women still endure today. Ultimately, however, Kazemi’s message is that love can overcome even the most difficult situations.

Selected Solo shows

2017 AB43 CONTEMPORARY, Zurich, Switzerland
2016 'A Report for D’Arcy', AB43 Contemporary, Zurich, Switzerland
2013 'A Report for D'Arcy', Silk Road Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2013 'Iranian Pickle', Homa Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2012 'Alice in Persianland', Homa Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2011 'Babak Kazemi', Homa Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2009 'Past Continuous Tense', Silk Road Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2008 'Black Cow', Silk Road Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2008 'Woman', Mehrva Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2008 Gavmish Abaad Documentary, Mahe Mehr Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2007 H2S, Mehrva Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2003 Shahid Mofateh, University Gallery, Hamedan, Iran

Selected Group Exhibitions

2016 'Made in Iran', Kunstverein Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
2016 'Made in Iran II', AB Gallery, Lucerne, Switzerland
2016 Dastdovvom Photography Competition, Silk Road Gallery, Tehran
2016 'Iran Magie und Macht: Von fliegenden Teppichen und Drohnen', Marta, Herford, Germany
2016 'Burnt Generation', Museum of Contemporary Photography, Columbia College, Chicago, USA
2016 'Secrets of Eternity', Khayyam and Contemporary Art, Silk Road Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2015 Iran Pavilion, 56th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
2014 'Ey Iran', Homa Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2014 'Eyes on Iran', Hinterland Galerie, Vienna, Austria
2014 'Burnt Generation', Somerset House, London, UK, Calgary Museum, Calgary, Canada
2014 'Black Gold,' Shirin Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2014 'Trace', Embassy of Spain's Cultural Office, Silk Road Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2013 'Embody. The Gender Issue of PIX Magazine', New Delhi, India
2013 'The Interior. The Iran Issue of PIX Magazine', New Delhi, India
2012 'Infinity', Seyhoun Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2012 'Tessellation Make-up', Zilberman Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
2012 'Bob', Tarahan-e-azad Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2012 'Come invest in us, You'll strike gold', HilgerBROTKunsthalle, Vienna, Austria
2012 'Still Life', Seyhoun Art Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2011 'Television', Mohsen Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2011 'Iranian pulse', Cultural Center "Hello Future", Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2011 '13.18 Portrait', Etemad Gallery, Tehran, Iran
2010 'The Other', Mohsen Gallery, Tehran, Iran