Curator: Zartosht Rahimi

Mr. President

Mr. President, as both the bearer and the witness of the people’s will, along with his collection of successes and failures has taken on a humane visage, at times admirably heroic and at other times hiding behind false masks. A position that shows the limitations of a religious democracy and at the same time an indication of the vulnerability of the people when facing their popular choice made with their own immaturity which is also their greatest achievement after years of struggle; putting the will of the nation into play. After decades of his own unique and exclusive rationalization, Mr. President has redefined himself. A definition derived from the political conflict that exists in our country.

This exhibition is titled “Mr. President” and endeavors to review and examine what it means to hold such an official position and title while at the same time being just a person. A title with a clear and legal definition and a position which depends on the people’s choice and the whim of politics which can be transformed into a situation representational of its own society.

The foundation of elections and competitions to attain an institutionalized power over the people has become a dramatic yet fateful game which can once in a while give the people a sense of value yet can also manifest as a devastating lack of confidence and disappointment with the electoral process.

Art here is not meant to document or portray what has come to pass for then it would be no more than a newscast. What is being addressed here is a paradoxical and entangled problem of the power of mixed media that an artist can wield to get across a deeper and multifaceted message regarding the issues at hand.

The telling or the judging of history can pass through the stages of a catastrophe and lapse into something entertaining. It is at this point that art can always accompany horror and be productive by becoming a permanent reevaluation in the thoughts of the viewer. Art does not fear the truth and can be erroneous, un-real and even harmful therefore it can bear ideas and imagination, including optimistic ones, which is what this collection is striving to exhibit.