#72: Shahram Entekhabi

After the Islamic revolution in 1979 the young contemporary art scene in Iran has developed beyond what was considered compatible with the new Islamic order. But right now – despite continuing limitations – the Iranian art scene is flourishing, all signs in the middle east art scene seem to point to Tehran. We haven’t been there yet. But Shahram Entekhabi  – certainly not an unknown in Berlin’s art scene – and his colleague Yasaman Pishvaei who produced their new film in Teheran within the last months are telling interesting things about Tehran’s art scene.

Shahram Entekhabi and Yasaman Pishvaei give us their personal insights and celebrate with us the world premiere of their Shahram’s

Breakfast with Dinosaurs, Teheran 2016, 48:00 min
Breakfast with Dinosaurs is focused on a social dimension: living in a megapolis city, Tehran and the different social manifestations of the contemporary Iranian society. The film shows the binary opposition of “inside” and “outside” life; The contrast between the inner life inside private homes/empty spaces and the restless fast and crowded awareness of the outer space. It uses the conversations/interviews with the taxi drivers in the city as a link or an intermediate stage between these two entities.(It is very common for private cars to take passengers along the way to be able to survive in Tehran.) These conversations/ true stories are brought into play as a way of “mapping” the city, based on the life experiences of the chauffeurs.The abstract, performative actions of a female character, poetically expressing deprivation, abandonment, melancholy and the sense of victimhood adds a mysterious third layer to the film.

Shahram Entekhabi (b. 1963 in Borujerd, Iran) is an artist and architect whose work has been the subject of many exhibitions all over the world, currently living and working across London, Berlin and Tehran. Shahram’s practice is framed within an urban setting and diffuses the idea of the urban space being a reserve for the practice and performance of the white, middle class, heterosexual male. He explores these ideas via a variety practices using architecture, installation and digital media. He chooses to highlight individuals who are ordinarily marginalized and made invisible or forced into “self-ghettoization” from the urban domain, such as migrant communities and their cultures, particularly the communities from the Middle East and its diaspora. The question of visibility and invisibility therefore is a theme he recurrently explores within his practice.

Sharam Entekhabi’s web site: www.entekhabi.org