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POSTMODERNISM IN IRANIAN CONTEMPORARY PAINTINGS: POSSIBILITIES AND IMPOSSIBILITIES OF DECONSTRUCTION IN IRANIAN PAINTERS’ WORKS Sara Shahmohamadian, Dr. Hosein A. Nowzari Postmodernism is one of the most important contemporary discourses which is discussed in many scientific and academic centers, in Arts and Literary Criticism circles criticizing tradition and modernism, particularly in modernism criticism, has been the roots of changes, motivation, movements and novel approaches. The theory and criticism of post modernism is presented in a very innovative and unique form which is called deconstruction. As an eccentric current and based on three parameters including Phallogocentrism, Logocentrism and Phonocentrism, deconstruction approach identifies centricities which are based the notions of classical and modern paradigms and posses their own specific metaphysical and idealistic shapes. Whilst It is noteworthy too that painting, as an art, in Iran is replete with hypernarratives, meta-narratives and grand-narrative themes and old centricities which have experienced numerous changes due to advent of postmodern movements in different theoretical and practical parts of Iranian contemporary painting discourse. Therefore, this paper aims at glancing at the concept of deconstruction and its three axes, then while scrutinizing the effects and consequences of postmodernism and the way it emerged in Iranian artists’ works during1990s and 2000s, the possibilities or impossibilities of deconstruction in these artists’ works during these two decades will be studied. Deconstruction Deconstruction, which is known as postmodern arts or postmodern aesthetics, is thought of as a methodological approach in postmodernism discourse which is a proof of a specific view and concept of arts and aesthetic philosophy. In other words, it is a current which is inclined towards a theoretical view which opposes the principal pre-assumptions of traditional aesthetics; principal pre-assumption like “value judgment is possible and criteria can be codified for value judgment by philosophical theory.” (Sim 1992). Deconstruction notion of Derrida 1 is part of a project in which the concept of meaning is questioned.Through studying the different definitions for different views on deconstruction, two general definitions could be presented:The first definition, considers deconstruction nothing save general approach in analysis of text. The second definition introduces deconstruction as an eccentric current which does not tolerate the presence of any united center and integrated totality. Deconstruction as an eccentric current: Deconstruction, as an eccentric current, uprises against presence of any united 174
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center and denies the centricity of the text and tries to decompose and analyze it in order to reveal the complicated and enigmatic nature of center. Deconstruction approach denies any differentiation between the “humble” and “super”, “low” and “high”, “grave or classical” and “pop” forms. It rejects any generic bordering in art and supports tokenism, composition and decomposition of the perspectives and ideas, forms and faces, and contents; promoting, reinforcing and proliferating subsidiary genre and various figures of speech and techniques of art. Deconstruction approach in form of a philosophical approach, rejects any possibilities of existence or accomplishing any level, logical and solid meaning (including verbal, written, pictorial and code languages in different poetry arenas and art forms). Derrida maintains that dominant western traditionalism has always tried to provide and establish necessary premise for certainty and truth through suppression fluidity and unlimited instability of language; a tradition to which he refers as “Logocentrism” i.e. word centricity (Baldic 1990 ).Derrida’s deconstruction approach contains four main principles: Logocentrism, Phonocentrism, Phallogocentrism, and Grammatology. In this paper, to identify and analyze the centricities, three bases have been utilized, namely Logocentrism, Phonocentrism, Phallogocentrism. Logocentrism Logocentrism, or word centricity, has been derived from Greek root of logos which means speech, word, logic, reason, proof, deduction or theorism. From Derrida’s point of view, Logocentrism means presence of a dominant and comprehensive current in Western philosophy, metaphysics, epistemology, aesthetics, and arts and so on which prioritizes certain concepts and purport. This priority automatically causes the purport of the second group – support for speech against writing, presence against absence, and completion versus defect – to be marginalized, suppressed and ignored. Therefore, in a general and comprehensive interpretation of Logocentrism it could be considered as any kind of excess faith in stability and resistance of meaning, certainty, centricity of word and its meaning, excess obsession for only one facet of dual contrasts and ignoring the second aspect and so on (Nowzari 2001). Phonocentrism: Phonocentrism, which means phone centricity, is the most important element of Logocentrism or word centricity. Phonocentrism may be present in philosophy, sociology, politics, literature and arts and other arenas. What is important in these fields is voice which is obvious and substantial manifestation of presence and existence of human being. Therefore, it could be claimed that voice does not merely mean speech based on physical presence; indeed, speech only includes a part of its meaning. This presence may be the symbolic presence of a mankind, phenomenon, or other thing. For example, in painting works, word centricity could be found behind a picture of a human, an image of a house or a tree which expresses a kind of sound or a type of presence, and, from gender point of view, shows male and matriarchal sound and presence in particular. Therefore, it can be acknowledged that cubist or abstract or other related works have been created in pursuit of rejecting any naturalistic view towards form and 175
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reaching abstraction so that they intend to deny any presence or sound and phone and ignore and object to word centricity and, in some way, have perpetrated the deconstructing preceding classical paradigms. Phallogocentrism: Another quality which is in relation to Logocentrism and is another component of deconstruction is phallogocentrism. Concept of Phallogocentrism (male centricity) has been derived from Phallus which means urethra or penis. Yet specific concept of Phallogocentrism has two meanings: a) appropriating an equal position for Logos as the principle field of “the truth”; a meaning which has strongly been criticized by the deconstructionists. b) Male centricity or Phallocracy and supremacy of penis, a meaning which has strongly been denied by feminists. To Derida’s point of view, since the propagation of Greek philosophy, urethra has been in the center and feminity has been taken into consideration as an absent space versus masculinity. In this dual contrast, all the facets of power and credit and decision making are for the first side. In other words, if, in this dual contrast, there is to be a decisive side at all, that side is masculine side. Postmodernists and deconstructionist maintain that if human’s presence, which is allegedly equal in male and female presence, is revised and investigated from Phallogocentric point of view in all genre and pragmatics of art and literary works, it will be apparent that this relationship is debatable and unreal. They believe that modernity currents have revived and reinforced Phallogocentrism and Phallocracy currents through cunning approaches and methods. In these currents, female characters’ presence in art works does not mean the presence of an aware, decisive, and willpower possessor subject - and in other word, subject does not mean the subject that is aware and decisive in Descart’s point of view. Jean-François Lyotard has directly mentioned this meaning in the book Position of Postmodern as well. He attributes this meaning to Capitalism and censures it. Investigation of influential effects on arts structure during 1990s and 2000s in Iran Social and political changes have been influential in any nation’s history and determine theories and pragmatics of different eras. Changes in social approaches is corroboration of changes is art structures and the effects of currents, tendencies, organizations, cliques, social classes, parties and state policy making are manifested in metamorphoses of arts in the country, here Iran, so that they could be considered the causes for approaches and wide currents in this country’s contemporary arts. What is obvious is that the Government has directly been managing the country’s arts for 40 years; therefore we have witnessed two different approaches towards arts in two epochs (Keshmirshekan 2006). the incidence of social changes in the two eras, from 1978 until triumph of the Islamic revolution and after war during late 80s and 90s , have strongly influenced Iran’s arts, particularly in painting. The discourse of arts after revolution could be considered as a complete meaning of reviving which has often reconstructed historical narratives and revolutionary causes and considers anything except Islamic values and tradition as worthless. Therefore, it could be stated that Iran’s arts have been under the domination of metaphysically Logocentric, Phonocentrism, and Phallogocentric 2centers since 176
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the beginning of revolution and breakout of war and even years after that. These centers represented post-war quixotism and art commitments with guiding arts contents which praised a masculine current in which there were not even female painters present there; if there had been any picture of a woman in the works at all, she would have been portrayed in masculine solemnity. This approach, which attenuated during late 80s and early 90s, waned in mid 90s. Therefore, Iran’s arts could be considered influenced by classical and modern paradigms from late 80s and early 90s. Although this current would occasionally be violated by painters, the general situation of arts structure during this era was under influence and control of centers which promoted the meta-narratives in form of metaphysical contents such as commitment, identity, idealism, etc. In very few works of Iranian artists during this era, tinges of deconstruction could be found which intended to criticize and violate the dominant current. During late 80s, after the end of war, until 1991, some incidences of individual movements were witnessed in the country’s arts which do not tolerate any post-revolutionary causes and expectations. Therefore, preaching and revolutionary art discourse in 90s changed into “cultural identity” and “national identity”. National identity in Iran was in the form of a relation between us and others. Finding a middle limit between these two perspectives has always been an obsession for the intellectual and traditional art communities, since there was a tendency that authentic identity was not lost as a result of Western preoccupation and contemporary and global view gates were not closed because of contrast and struggle against the West. Among identity struggles, when the conflicts concerning we and modernity were not solved yet and the intellectual community of Iran was trying to understand and find a solution for these two categories, Iran’s contemplation shore was faced by new issues which was actually another Western achievement; postmodernism. Therefore another preoccupation appeared in Iran’s thinking and enlightenment arenas, namely “we and postmodernism”. Postmodernism entered Iran in mid 90s i.e. during 1995 and 1996, while modernity was still a basic issue in Iran. Many theorists and intellectual people believe that modernity is a prerequisite for being postmodern, an issue openly mentioned by Jean-François Lyotard. Arts, however, like many other non-western countries, would obviously follow European-American patterns before the thought and philosophical infrastructures of them were understood. The existing art forms would selectively absorb and adapt them which were sometimes heterogeneous from structural point of view. In mid 90s, the youth tendency towards the West was tangible and the intellectual community prioritized new concepts such as civil society, pluralism, democracy, civilization talks and so on. Therefore, rejecting governmental idealism and ideologically united voice and striving for decentralization of dogmatic and powered-by-a-single thoughts, the new generation took Iran’s political, social and cultural societies to a form of pluralism and was not willing to repeat the idealism of the previous generation. What they did might be considered as a type of deconstruction of classical paradigm of concepts such as centricities the achievements of which were “ideology training and utopian thoughts”. In this process, national and Islamic identity was changed to “self identity” and “individual identity”. During this current, facing with “globalization”, “being special” and “being up177
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to-date” and pursuing these issues, Iran’s contemporary arts initiated a critical view towards “political” and “ideological” issues. This approach gradually became one of the interesting issues among the youth. Therefore, some part of new Arts in Iran had often radical and progressive content from social and political points of view involving in cultural, social and illuminating issues of the era while looking from critical view at these issues. Therefore, most proportion of drive which propelled these emerging artists during the past decade, rooted from a tendency to smash the obstacles or in other words deconstruct the barriers which used to be considered off-the-border before then and therefore prevented the artists from dealing with new materials and subjects, uncommon creation methods and presenting art works (Keshmirshekan 2010). The contents of these works encompasses various ranges of personal and social obsessions (from feminist sensitivities, worries about environmental pollution, and nostalgia for old traditions to stressful reality of life today) which are often presented in detailed predicates. Meanwhile, some of the artists of this generation like the most prominent Iranian modernists have come up with successful breakthroughs in local-global approach. On the other hand, if self criticism and its reflection are considered as a part of critical idea and contemporary arts, this quality could be observed in current works of Iranian artists in a solid combination with political and social causes (Keshmirshekan 2010). Generally, some samples and forms of this art could be seen in some of the artists’ obsession on presenting the conflicts and dilemmas through representation of self portrait, daily life and life experience which will be investigated later. Implications of post-modernity: We have categorized artists’ works based on the relation and closeness of these arts to visual implications of post-modernity, in the investigation of postmodernism in Iran’s contemporary painting. The most important components of postmodern arts include pluralism, tokenism, relativism and belief in uncertainty both of the latter cause variation in shape and meaning of an art work. However, there are other important components in this current the presence of which in a work beside other qualities are of implications of post modernity. These components include regression in the form of deliberate application of previous styles and contracts, and rotation towards content; each of these implications is along with criticizing and sometimes following the previous approaches and often deconstructs previous paradigms. However, each of these components has different layers in which new and sometimes ironic approaches towards dominant currents of the past could be seen which act towards rendering the work as a postmodern work. Regression: or reviewing the traditions One of the criteria in which post modern theorists believe is reviewing the traditions, which denies the passive state of the past in an active and conversational form (Calinescu 1987). In our society, however, approach towards tradition in creation of contemporary 178
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art has doubled because of defined narrative On the other hand, this current is brought up in an exaggerated fashion in formal advertising narratives and sometimes it seems that, even in other approaches, tradition has been received more than other qualities such as pluralism, enmity towards absolutism. The current of returning to the past is seen in different eras, but it is done with a different approach this time. Here, not only reviewing of the traditions is not applied along with nostalgic feeling for the past, but also through a critical representation, it criticizes and keeps distance from the past, and sometimes even destructs it. This view, void of innocence, is sometimes accompanied with an ironic and humorous language and sometimes is viewed with a partial expression on critical side and gives it post modern qualities and sometimes is manifested in a work as a from (play with faces, clichÊs of Eastern visual culture) (Akhgar 2010). Afshan Ketabchi’s works are some quite novel samples of this approach. In this frame, she depicts women in places like seraglio. The main images of her works are mysterious, passive and coquette oriental women in semi naked state or in other samples, these forms of Qajari art3 change to humorous and even bitter views. Synthesis of old and new elements has changed the meaning and application of both. The language of new painting is individual language and this is in contrast to sanctity of tradition centricity. When a quality is borrowed from a traditional work, more freedom is given to the destructive role of text which changes the form and meaning of borrowed element and annihilates its identity (image 1) In many of these samples, the presence of traditional forms beside contemporaneity effects of art in different works is not intended to resort to that old identity, which was mentioned before, in order to discuss an interesting issue; it is actually a criticism about current situation of these elements. Nosratollah Soleyman, Ahmad Amin Nazar and Fereydoun Av are some artists who utilize such methods. In many works which have been created using this approach, there is a close, logical and
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causative relationship between traditional elements and new cultural effects, but with careful attention it is revealed that the height differences between these two is undeniable (image 2 – 5) In most of these works, one of these aspects – traditional forms and contemporaneity effects of art – which had a contrastive relationship in past Iranian art, are contrasted and often one of them becomes dominant and is evident in the work. However, here the difference is that this time another layer – which is probably marginal, gets its power from superficial layer and obviously or incidentally is deducted from it. Accordingly, Farhad Moshiri accompanies jug, as an ancient Iranian icon, with pink color and vulgar expression, or Naz Gol Ansarinia incorporates schemata of women covered in veils and motor bikes with several sitters within arabesque and khataee forms4. Fereydoun Av, Khosro Hassanzadeh and Mehraneh Atashi controversially contrast figures of annexation like Takhti and Abbas Jadidi to mendicant and
imposture causes and images (Akhgar 2009)( image 6-7) . In works of some these artists, the mentioned approaches could be seen. In spite of being new, these works are influenced by ancient Iranian painting infrastructures which are termed as Negargari5. It might be claimed that Iranian artists have created an interactional and conversational atmosphere in their new approach to reviewing the tradition and regression which ironically consider the dominant presence and its correlation as a center based on which the work should be evaluated and towards which the work should move. As an indispensible member of Iranian painting identity, this time, the Logocentric focus has been analyzed and deconstructed. Painters try to pull this old and stable focus to outer layers through naturalistic representation and openly drive it to the margin and disparage it. Pluralism and Relativism: As a result of the effects of media, the presence of pluralism and cultural pluralism in Iranian society is evident. Manifestations of these qualities have entered social life of Iranian, in spite of contrasting relationship that these manifestations have with the dominant ideology in Iranian-Islamic society and its exposure is observable in discourses on different cultural, arts or ideological fields. One of the discussions which is posed when pluralism plan is brought up in arts field is the discourse of identity. In our country, Iran, identity has always been a stabilized current which has been presented in different eras as national-Islamic identity and from artists’ point of view has eventually changed into individual 180
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identity as a result of changes in arts field. This definition and perspective for identity considers a fixed situation and view for it and regards it as something integrated. However, after introduction of pluralism currents, some people believe in a non-dogmatic and changing definition for identity. This group that object to such detailed view, mostly believe in cut-off and multiple identity which is combination of different things. This plurality is also observable is our culture. In fact they believe that this current exists in our cultural structure and it is not something which comes from outside. They actually replace a changeable identity with a kind of monolithic identity. In field of arts and during this ear, attempts for achieving this identity are visible and in some works is observable in different forms. Therefore, we witness cut-off and multiple identities in various combinations of different visual and other elements (image 8) Sometimes this combination can be investigated in materials and techniques of visual presentation and its results are methods of tokenism among media such as painting, photography, sculpture and so on. This is sometimes used in order to make the spectator, supervisors and audience to muse on the meaning and concept of reproduction in the field of art (Stevenc 1995). This approach, which causes combination and tokenism in semantic structure, is the result of thinking about art in the realm of post modernism. On the other hand, pluralism has a close relationship with relativism. Deconstruction occurs with belief in existence of multiple and plural identities, from unitarian and dogmatic centricities and consequently, in the middle of the issues, it enters into relative relationships.This plural, relativist and token view is observed in conceptual arts exhibitions, but it is also present in works of some painters of this era. Some of the painters have portrayed tradition and modernism in an eclectic relation in their works which can be considered a manifestation of plurality of meaning and experience of an ordinary human that beside modern and eclectic, in a traditional experience, has simultaneously benefited from abstract and real elements. Nosratollah Moslemian is one of those painters. He has achieved a kind
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of mixing the external and internal factors i.e. local and global factors (image 9-10). This hybridization and pluralism is sometimes observable as disintegration in pictorial elements of his works. Pluralism in his works is also visible in the form of technique in a collage-like combination of pieces of paper and other materials (image 11). On the other hand, sometimes this disintegration emerges beside his relativism in the form of incomplete or hidden shapes behind other shapes, with could probably be a suggestion for the spectator’s participation in creation or giving meaning to it. This means that the truth is mental and relative and depends on different mental states. Rotation towards content: critical content Since the mid 90s, contemporary arts current experienced a shift or rotation as a result of the youth’s enthusiasm for approaches of new era and after deconstruction of incomplete modernism of post revolutionary Iranian arts which was full of formalistic tendencies. The tendency towards conceptual arts increased and as time passed, this current became apparent in works in form of rotation towards content, but this content faced different presentations in works and often represented a content of critical view. The presentation of historical-cultural conflicts and social political limitations in Iranian contemporary urban life was often accompanied by a humorous and ironic language and often it was a way to criticize westernization and metaphorical reactions against the values of formal section (Keshmirshekan 2009). For example, Amir Ali Qasemi depicts young girls in cafes and youth haunts, with their faces and hands have been erased as an implication of censorship and identity crisis (image 12). Daryoush Qarehzadeh depicts young girls in the pedestrians on the background of Tehran’s sketched walls (fig.13). Discourse of social identity and being special Subjects about being special and being Iranian which reminds of a kind of social identity is considered one of important issues and application of archetypes (which has been changed into signs of Iranian, Middle East, Islamic, etc. identity, during 300 years as a result of the foreigners’ visits to Iran) is a vivid manifestation of Iranian 182
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identity, which is representative of special identity in a work of art, characterizes the work of art and it could be told that it is also sometimes considered as a key to audience entrance. This kind of identity-finding, noticed collective unconscious and archetypes. Literature, poetry – Iranian mythology, Iranian heroes and mysticism were considered in order to render art works in globalization discourse as something “unique” (image 4-10-14). This current and the acceleration that arena of art had achieved from mid 90s to early 2000s, received another rotation in second half of 2000s, and it could be stated that many art currents faced new presence of significant centricities which were mostly reminders of art discourses after revolution.
Generally, as it was seen in investigation of art works, in some of the samples, presence of post-modernist components is significant and could be investigated; it could be said that this presence invites the audience to have a post modernist view. A question which arises here is that is this formalist and merely visual presence of these components based upon post modernity nature of the works? According to the investigations, it could be said that due to absence of infrastructures of contemplation, post modernism in contemporary Iranian painting ahs not pierced into deep layers of painting and is mainly remained on the surface. Therefore, according to all these interpretations and studies and reviews which were done on these works, the results show that in spite of the fact that obvious and incidental, open and covert implications, modernism is observed in deep constructions of some works of art, but in many cases it has been nothing more than a formalist representation and has been caused by presence and simultaneous existence of Asynchronous elements. According to the investigations, it could be suggested that although there have been some evidence and examples implying the possibility of deconstruction in works of Iranian painters of 90s and 2000s, this is not visible as a dominant and powerful current, but rather it is present in apparent layers and outer vestige of paintings, especially in the forms and templates and of course occasionally were superficial and transient. Based on this, it could probably be claimed that classical and modern paradigms are dominant in Iran’s art infrastructures and consequently it could be said that has possessed a kind of dominant Logocentric, Phonocentric and Phallogocentric centricities. REFERENCES Akhgar,M 2010 , ‘ jahani shodan Irani shodan: ta’amoli darbareye sahneye 183
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honare Iran’, Journal of honarhaye tajassomi, herfe honarmand,NO.33 Baldick,C 1990, The Term Oxford Concise Dic. Literary, Oxford: oup. Calinescu, M 1987, Five Faces of Modernity,Durham, N.C.: Duke. Keshmirshekan, H 2004, ‘Post-revolutionary Iranian Art: Neo-traditionalism During the 1990s’, Proceeding of the BRISMES Conference, LME,pp 4-7 . Keshmirshekan, H 2009, Modern and Contemporary Iranian Art: Development and Challenges, in Different Sames: New Perspectives in Contemporary Iranian Art, London, Thames and Hudson in association with Transeglobe Publication. Norris, C 2002, Deconstruction:theory and Practic, Routledge Nowzari, H 2006, ‘ Souratbandi moderniteh va post moderniteh”,Publish of naghshe jahan. Sim, S 1992,‘ Structuralism and Post-structuralism’ , Philosophical Aesthetics: An Introduction, Wiley-Blackwell, 1992 Stevens, I 1996, Post Modernism, Structuralism, Post Structuralism, deconstruction and criticism. Ward, G 2003, Postmodernism, Teach Yourself Series, London & Chicago: Hodder Headline. (Endnotes) 1 Jacques Derrida, a French philosopher who proposed the deconstruction theory 2 War can basically be considered phallogocentric 3 Art during Qajar Dynasty in Ancient Iran 4 Traditional Iranian carpet motifs 5 A genuine Iranian painting
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