The Roots of a Scream, 36 x 30 cm, 2008
Artist Farhad Ahrarnia was born in Shiraz, Iran and now lives in the UK. The publication of this catalogue celebrates his first solo exhibition in London, curated by Rose Issa, at Leighton House Museum, summer 2008.
Stitched Farhad Ahrarnia
edited by Rose Issa
The Way of Love, 33 x 37 cm, 2007
edited by Rose Issa
The Way of Love, 33 x 37 cm, 2007
Stitched Farhad Ahrarnia
Knots of Power strokes of Desire Liberty of Void
The Flesh of Words, 113 x 99 cm, 2008
Stitched Farhad Ahrarnia
Knots of Power strokes of Desire Liberty of Void
The Flesh of Words, 113 x 99 cm, 2008
Lady Oracle, Grey, 34 x 28 cm, 2007 | Lady Oracle, Red, 34 x 28 cm, 2007
Stitched 4
The Becoming, 28 x 22 cm, 2007
Lady Oracle, Grey, 34 x 28 cm, 2007 | Lady Oracle, Red, 34 x 28 cm, 2007
Stitched 4
The Becoming, 28 x 22 cm, 2007
Left: On the Shores of Infinite Thoughts 41 x 33 cm, 2006-07
Bavar, 58 x 20 cm, 2006
7 Stitched
Left: On the Shores of Infinite Thoughts 41 x 33 cm, 2006-07
Bavar, 58 x 20 cm, 2006
7 Stitched
Flirtation With Surrender, 108 x 120 cm, 2008
Stitched 8
Flirtation With Surrender, 108 x 120 cm, 2008
Stitched 8
Under the Net: A Landscape of Faces
Over the last seven years Farhad Ahrarnia has used needles and miles of colourful thread
banned from performing in post-revolutionary Iran for two decades. Ahrarnia also depicts
to hand stitch and embroider a variety of digital and photographic images. His obsessive,
young Iranian celebrities, including the movie stars Leila Hatami and Hediyeh Tehrani. In
and at times compulsive, involvement with his art stems from emotional, intellectual and
one clever play on voyeurism, he depicts a bird, captured on a mobile phone by an American
conceptual sources deeply embedded in his personal history. Ahrarnia selects an image
soldier, while the colourful “Birds of Shiraz” series deconstructs the traditional Persian
from his archive of found photographs from the media and cyberspace and then digitally
drawing style of Gol-o-Bolbol (“Flowers and Nightingales”) in tribute to his beloved home-
prints them onto cotton aida for its evenly punctured, geometric and net-like surface. Then,
town of Shiraz. Meanwhile, old BBC and NBC microphones broadcast some distorted truths.
he patiently and contemplatively embellishes the surface of these images, stitch by stitch. Much of Ahrarnia’s practice is based on appropriating, deconstructing and rearranging Ahrarnia has been inspired by several ideas from British novelist Iris Murdoch’s richly
mass-produced images and objects. Each one represents different aspects of life in the
philosophical work of fiction, “Under the Net”. There are many elements lurking “under the
contemporary Middle East and reflects his interest in deconstructing their various layers
net” of his grid-like canvas, for the language of needlework creates layers of meaning. With
of meaning and ideology embedded within them. Needlework may have feminine and
needles and thread, Ahrarnia disturbs the surface of his chosen subjects, creating a literal
domestic connotations, yet in Ahrarnia’s hands it becomes subversive: the act of repeatedly
and metaphorical attempt to pull out the hidden meanings that lurk beneath the imagery.
piercing an image with a sharp needle has a sense of violence and tension, and adds a layer of suspense and intrigue. The resulting artworks convey an air of vulnerability and anxiety,
Ahrarnia’s subjects vary greatly, from CCTV footage of the youth riots in Bradford, England,
and imply a sense of redemption.
in 2001, to recent portraits of deceased young American soldiers in Iraq. There is even the flamboyant Colonel Ghaddafi of Libya and, in his “Viva Diba” series, the former Empress of
Ahrarnia’s stitched surfaces force us to look more closely at his work. Our gaze is transfixed
Iran, Farah Diba Pahlavi. He deconstructs images of her from the 1960s and 70s: a crowning
by the minute fragments and details of his needlework. By exploring and transforming
ceremony, official visits to villages, mosques or schools. These images, often very pixillated,
familiar and politically charged images, Ahrarnia reflects the complexity of the contemporary
are frozen in time, melancholic depictions of a woman whose contribution to the Iranian art
Middle Eastern experience – a hybrid, fragmented and diverse reality, where tradition and
scene and affection for her countrymen few question. Ahrarnia portrays another iconic figure
modernity merge, with unpredictable, contradictory, and at times volatile consequences.
of 1960s Iran – the pop diva Googoosh. She was the most popular pre-revolutionary artist, “the voice of a nation”, an actress and singer who managed to reinvent herself after being
Stitched 10
Rose Issa, London 2008
11 Stitched
Under the Net: A Landscape of Faces
Over the last seven years Farhad Ahrarnia has used needles and miles of colourful thread
banned from performing in post-revolutionary Iran for two decades. Ahrarnia also depicts
to hand stitch and embroider a variety of digital and photographic images. His obsessive,
young Iranian celebrities, including the movie stars Leila Hatami and Hediyeh Tehrani. In
and at times compulsive, involvement with his art stems from emotional, intellectual and
one clever play on voyeurism, he depicts a bird, captured on a mobile phone by an American
conceptual sources deeply embedded in his personal history. Ahrarnia selects an image
soldier, while the colourful “Birds of Shiraz” series deconstructs the traditional Persian
from his archive of found photographs from the media and cyberspace and then digitally
drawing style of Gol-o-Bolbol (“Flowers and Nightingales”) in tribute to his beloved home-
prints them onto cotton aida for its evenly punctured, geometric and net-like surface. Then,
town of Shiraz. Meanwhile, old BBC and NBC microphones broadcast some distorted truths.
he patiently and contemplatively embellishes the surface of these images, stitch by stitch. Much of Ahrarnia’s practice is based on appropriating, deconstructing and rearranging Ahrarnia has been inspired by several ideas from British novelist Iris Murdoch’s richly
mass-produced images and objects. Each one represents different aspects of life in the
philosophical work of fiction, “Under the Net”. There are many elements lurking “under the
contemporary Middle East and reflects his interest in deconstructing their various layers
net” of his grid-like canvas, for the language of needlework creates layers of meaning. With
of meaning and ideology embedded within them. Needlework may have feminine and
needles and thread, Ahrarnia disturbs the surface of his chosen subjects, creating a literal
domestic connotations, yet in Ahrarnia’s hands it becomes subversive: the act of repeatedly
and metaphorical attempt to pull out the hidden meanings that lurk beneath the imagery.
piercing an image with a sharp needle has a sense of violence and tension, and adds a layer of suspense and intrigue. The resulting artworks convey an air of vulnerability and anxiety,
Ahrarnia’s subjects vary greatly, from CCTV footage of the youth riots in Bradford, England,
and imply a sense of redemption.
in 2001, to recent portraits of deceased young American soldiers in Iraq. There is even the flamboyant Colonel Ghaddafi of Libya and, in his “Viva Diba” series, the former Empress of
Ahrarnia’s stitched surfaces force us to look more closely at his work. Our gaze is transfixed
Iran, Farah Diba Pahlavi. He deconstructs images of her from the 1960s and 70s: a crowning
by the minute fragments and details of his needlework. By exploring and transforming
ceremony, official visits to villages, mosques or schools. These images, often very pixillated,
familiar and politically charged images, Ahrarnia reflects the complexity of the contemporary
are frozen in time, melancholic depictions of a woman whose contribution to the Iranian art
Middle Eastern experience – a hybrid, fragmented and diverse reality, where tradition and
scene and affection for her countrymen few question. Ahrarnia portrays another iconic figure
modernity merge, with unpredictable, contradictory, and at times volatile consequences.
of 1960s Iran – the pop diva Googoosh. She was the most popular pre-revolutionary artist, “the voice of a nation”, an actress and singer who managed to reinvent herself after being
Stitched 10
Rose Issa, London 2008
11 Stitched
Under her Spell, 34 x 40 cm, 2007
Si le viol, le poison, le poignard, l’incendie, N’ont pas encore brodé de leurs plaisants dessins Le canevas banal de nos piteux destins, C’est que notre âme, hélas! n’est pas assez hardie. If rape and poison, dagger and burning, Have still not embroidered their pleasant designs On the banal canvas of our pitiable destinies, It’s because our souls, alas, are not bold enough! Charles Beaudelaire
13 Stitched
Under her Spell, 34 x 40 cm, 2007
Si le viol, le poison, le poignard, l’incendie, N’ont pas encore brodé de leurs plaisants dessins Le canevas banal de nos piteux destins, C’est que notre âme, hélas! n’est pas assez hardie. If rape and poison, dagger and burning, Have still not embroidered their pleasant designs On the banal canvas of our pitiable destinies, It’s because our souls, alas, are not bold enough! Charles Beaudelaire
13 Stitched
Cheshmhayash, 98 x 98 cm, 2008 | Avaze No, 34 x 38 cm, 2008
15 Stitched
Cheshmhayash, 98 x 98 cm, 2008 | Avaze No, 34 x 38 cm, 2008
15 Stitched
The Chant, 34 x 38 cm, 2006-07
TANHA SEDAST KE MIMANAD Only the voice remains FOROUGH FARROKHZAD
Stitched 16
The Chant, 34 x 38 cm, 2006-07
TANHA SEDAST KE MIMANAD Only the voice remains FOROUGH FARROKHZAD
Stitched 16
The Body of her Spirit, 44 x 26 cm, 2007
‘There is no longer wisdom. Only the products of its decay remain; one is folly, which has the comfort and assurance of wisdom without any of its substance; the other is the rumour of true things.’ Walter Benjamin
History is the collective narrative of humanity that links the living experience of the present generation with that of past generations. It is an account of seemingly endless chains of events, which are intertwined with distant echoes, rumours and mythology. In its history, humanity defines itself, finds its existential meaning and recognises the embrace of destiny. Despite the knowledge of precise historical dates, names of kings, of politicians, important philosophers and artists, the writing of history is and will always remain a highly subjective matter. But our culture believes that the larger outline of historical knowledge is to be trusted as definitive, solidly unchangeable. The assumption that there is an objective, scientifically based history often affects the outcome of historical events themselves. Dogmatic assumptions of historical rights and wrongs can lead nations into social catastrophe, even war. Revolutions are made ‘to change the course of history’. Revolutionaries believe that they can turn the wheels of destiny; they re-write history the way they perceive it to be or the way they want it to be interpreted. Nevertheless history tends to survive all attempts to force its spirit. Its natural current flows through small social groups like the family circle or the tribal unit; it is kept alive by the telling of stories, through poetry, traditional songs, through the handing on of skills, of books, objects and images. Such memory is the living source of history resistant to politically manipulated ‘historical truth’.
Stitched 18
The Body of her Spirit, 44 x 26 cm, 2007
‘There is no longer wisdom. Only the products of its decay remain; one is folly, which has the comfort and assurance of wisdom without any of its substance; the other is the rumour of true things.’ Walter Benjamin
History is the collective narrative of humanity that links the living experience of the present generation with that of past generations. It is an account of seemingly endless chains of events, which are intertwined with distant echoes, rumours and mythology. In its history, humanity defines itself, finds its existential meaning and recognises the embrace of destiny. Despite the knowledge of precise historical dates, names of kings, of politicians, important philosophers and artists, the writing of history is and will always remain a highly subjective matter. But our culture believes that the larger outline of historical knowledge is to be trusted as definitive, solidly unchangeable. The assumption that there is an objective, scientifically based history often affects the outcome of historical events themselves. Dogmatic assumptions of historical rights and wrongs can lead nations into social catastrophe, even war. Revolutions are made ‘to change the course of history’. Revolutionaries believe that they can turn the wheels of destiny; they re-write history the way they perceive it to be or the way they want it to be interpreted. Nevertheless history tends to survive all attempts to force its spirit. Its natural current flows through small social groups like the family circle or the tribal unit; it is kept alive by the telling of stories, through poetry, traditional songs, through the handing on of skills, of books, objects and images. Such memory is the living source of history resistant to politically manipulated ‘historical truth’.
Stitched 18
‘RAGE, LOVE’S COLOR, LOVE, THE COLOR OF OBLIVION’ LUIS CERNUDA
Farhad Ahrarnia is an Iranian artist. The roots of his art lie in his sense of continuity – his
is no space for sentimentality. Portraits of legendary singers are reflections of cultural
memories are the source of his freedom. He combines in his work the latest digital production
constructs, like the popular image of Googosh. They are now after-images of celebrated
techniques with the ancient art of embroidery, which has been known in continental Europe
performances, resonating with the beauty of her songs, and the tenderness of her verses.
and parts of Asia for over two thousand years. It flourished in the Middle East and came to
The microphones that captured these songs are depicted in a set of separate images. They
special dominance in Persia. Practised by both men and women, it is one of the oldest form
are technical objects of their time, but are also emotionally charged; the means with which
of artistic activity; its accessibility and simplicity explains its widespread use in folk art
these precious voices were recorded and preserved.
and craft. It now re-appears in Ahrarnia’s work in an unexpectedly contemporary context. A series of works show the changing faces of Colonel Ghaddafi of Libya, an internationally In craft tradition, style and skill of execution was, and still is, a signature of family identity
shunned leader for many years but seen in the region as a force of opposition to US
and cultural continuity. Used by the artist it is a sign of the assertion of this identity, the
hegemony. Isolation is the price of power. And there are images of soldiers, in which
mental and physical method of his spiritual search. It is also a means to get in touch
discipline, vulnerability and punishment embody conflicting values. The higher the rank, the
with a past that has been suppressed and a history that is still covered in silence. Farhad
greater the ambition, the more embellishment is required. This is even reflected in sharply
Ahrarnia’s generation realises that it has been deprived of its history; it wishes to regain its
coloured images of nature, of birds and flowers, on canvasses full of anxiety.
own position in history. Ahrarnia uses found images from magazines and newspapers. He transfers them digitally
Stitched 20
Ahrarnia sees his work as a form of restitution, of healing past wrongs through art. He
in colour onto an embroiderer’s foundation fabric, which forms a grid in which 18 threads
salvages historical images, revered portraits of personalities now in disgrace. These
per inch cross each other and form a basic raster (a scan pattern). The square micro-
forgotten, even forbidden icons are mostly images of women. The artist attaches himself to
elements of digital picture reproduction, the basic picture points called pixels, are normally
a popular memory that remembers their former power, their legendary beauty, the charm
invisible, but are at times enlarged by the artist to provide an additional geometric layer
of their voices. Individuals may have been raised to a state of importance and fame; only
on the squared-up fabric. These two systems of co-ordinates, of textile and digital origin,
songs remain to tell the story of their fall. In the case of the image of the Iranian Empress,
provide the underlying geometric structure of the work. The artist follows these geometric
Farah Diba, it is not necessarily the memory of her reign, but the sense of ‘she belonged
overlays by modulating visual intensities and determining image areas that he wishes to
to us’ that prevails; in her time she was made a public icon until she was un-made. There
emphasise and enhance through embroidery.
21 Stitched
‘RAGE, LOVE’S COLOR, LOVE, THE COLOR OF OBLIVION’ LUIS CERNUDA
Farhad Ahrarnia is an Iranian artist. The roots of his art lie in his sense of continuity – his
is no space for sentimentality. Portraits of legendary singers are reflections of cultural
memories are the source of his freedom. He combines in his work the latest digital production
constructs, like the popular image of Googosh. They are now after-images of celebrated
techniques with the ancient art of embroidery, which has been known in continental Europe
performances, resonating with the beauty of her songs, and the tenderness of her verses.
and parts of Asia for over two thousand years. It flourished in the Middle East and came to
The microphones that captured these songs are depicted in a set of separate images. They
special dominance in Persia. Practised by both men and women, it is one of the oldest form
are technical objects of their time, but are also emotionally charged; the means with which
of artistic activity; its accessibility and simplicity explains its widespread use in folk art
these precious voices were recorded and preserved.
and craft. It now re-appears in Ahrarnia’s work in an unexpectedly contemporary context. A series of works show the changing faces of Colonel Ghaddafi of Libya, an internationally In craft tradition, style and skill of execution was, and still is, a signature of family identity
shunned leader for many years but seen in the region as a force of opposition to US
and cultural continuity. Used by the artist it is a sign of the assertion of this identity, the
hegemony. Isolation is the price of power. And there are images of soldiers, in which
mental and physical method of his spiritual search. It is also a means to get in touch
discipline, vulnerability and punishment embody conflicting values. The higher the rank, the
with a past that has been suppressed and a history that is still covered in silence. Farhad
greater the ambition, the more embellishment is required. This is even reflected in sharply
Ahrarnia’s generation realises that it has been deprived of its history; it wishes to regain its
coloured images of nature, of birds and flowers, on canvasses full of anxiety.
own position in history. Ahrarnia uses found images from magazines and newspapers. He transfers them digitally
Stitched 20
Ahrarnia sees his work as a form of restitution, of healing past wrongs through art. He
in colour onto an embroiderer’s foundation fabric, which forms a grid in which 18 threads
salvages historical images, revered portraits of personalities now in disgrace. These
per inch cross each other and form a basic raster (a scan pattern). The square micro-
forgotten, even forbidden icons are mostly images of women. The artist attaches himself to
elements of digital picture reproduction, the basic picture points called pixels, are normally
a popular memory that remembers their former power, their legendary beauty, the charm
invisible, but are at times enlarged by the artist to provide an additional geometric layer
of their voices. Individuals may have been raised to a state of importance and fame; only
on the squared-up fabric. These two systems of co-ordinates, of textile and digital origin,
songs remain to tell the story of their fall. In the case of the image of the Iranian Empress,
provide the underlying geometric structure of the work. The artist follows these geometric
Farah Diba, it is not necessarily the memory of her reign, but the sense of ‘she belonged
overlays by modulating visual intensities and determining image areas that he wishes to
to us’ that prevails; in her time she was made a public icon until she was un-made. There
emphasise and enhance through embroidery.
21 Stitched
Between the Lines, 106 x 97 cm, 2008
By adding embroidery, Ahrarnia re-vitalises these images. For him, stitching is an articulation of space and time, rather than a matter of aesthetics. Covering small sections of the images with stitches, he creates fields of colour, sets accents and marks to give them a tactile presence. He charges his images with a new energy and makes them real. He utilises the traditional technique of flat or looped stitch and converts it into a post-modern art strategy. In most of his works he endeavours to leave traces of his technique and working procedure clearly visible; threads cross the canvas and needles puncture its surface. Tense or loose threads in various colours represent a linear set of connections, turning a web of lines into graphic devices that add an abstract dimension to an otherwise representative context. The intervention by means of embroidery into an image of high memory value is the artist’s method of taking possession of it. Embroidery gives material substance and texture to otherwise flat images, which would without that intervention remain lifeless, unattached, unloved. The embroiderers’ slow work, the repeated action of stitching, has itself ritual connotations. Repetition enables meditation, focuses thoughts and emotional energies. Here, at this point, stitch by stitch, the artist claims his birthright. He reinstates for himself and his peers his country’s collective memory. Ahrarnia’s works, as gentle as they may appear, are in political terms acts of subversion, in personal terms acts of self-assertion. His art is a quiet monument to lost truth. Lutz Becker, July 2008 Documentary film maker and independent curator
Stitched 22
Between the Lines, 106 x 97 cm, 2008
By adding embroidery, Ahrarnia re-vitalises these images. For him, stitching is an articulation of space and time, rather than a matter of aesthetics. Covering small sections of the images with stitches, he creates fields of colour, sets accents and marks to give them a tactile presence. He charges his images with a new energy and makes them real. He utilises the traditional technique of flat or looped stitch and converts it into a post-modern art strategy. In most of his works he endeavours to leave traces of his technique and working procedure clearly visible; threads cross the canvas and needles puncture its surface. Tense or loose threads in various colours represent a linear set of connections, turning a web of lines into graphic devices that add an abstract dimension to an otherwise representative context. The intervention by means of embroidery into an image of high memory value is the artist’s method of taking possession of it. Embroidery gives material substance and texture to otherwise flat images, which would without that intervention remain lifeless, unattached, unloved. The embroiderers’ slow work, the repeated action of stitching, has itself ritual connotations. Repetition enables meditation, focuses thoughts and emotional energies. Here, at this point, stitch by stitch, the artist claims his birthright. He reinstates for himself and his peers his country’s collective memory. Ahrarnia’s works, as gentle as they may appear, are in political terms acts of subversion, in personal terms acts of self-assertion. His art is a quiet monument to lost truth. Lutz Becker, July 2008 Documentary film maker and independent curator
Stitched 22
Stitched, from the Bradford series, 29 x 24 cm, 2002-03
Stitched 24
25 Stitched
Stitched, from the Bradford series, 29 x 24 cm, 2002-03
Stitched 24
25 Stitched
US Soldier VI, 30 x 23 cm, 2008 | US Soldier II, 30 x 23 cm, 2006-07 | US Soldier IV, 30 x 23 cm, 2006-07 US Soldier VII, 30 x 23 cm, 2008 | US Soldier III, 30 x 23 cm, 2006-07 | US Soldier V, 30 x 23 cm, 2008
Stitched 26
US Soldier I, 35 x 28 cm, 2006-07
US Soldier VI, 30 x 23 cm, 2008 | US Soldier II, 30 x 23 cm, 2006-07 | US Soldier IV, 30 x 23 cm, 2006-07 US Soldier VII, 30 x 23 cm, 2008 | US Soldier III, 30 x 23 cm, 2006-07 | US Soldier V, 30 x 23 cm, 2008
Stitched 26
US Soldier I, 35 x 28 cm, 2006-07
Red BBC, 48 x 28 cm, 2008
Green NBC, 47 x 20 cm, 2008
29 Stitched
Red BBC, 48 x 28 cm, 2008
Green NBC, 47 x 20 cm, 2008
29 Stitched
Leila, Nafas, 14 x 19 cm, 2008 | Mitra, Red Lights, 15 x 19 cm, 2008 | Hediyeh, one Fith of the Moon, 43 x 51 cm, 2008 | Hediyeh, Magic Skin, 34 x 37 cm, 2008
Stitched 30
31 Stitched
Leila, Nafas, 14 x 19 cm, 2008 | Mitra, Red Lights, 15 x 19 cm, 2008 | Hediyeh, one Fith of the Moon, 43 x 51 cm, 2008 | Hediyeh, Magic Skin, 34 x 37 cm, 2008
Stitched 30
31 Stitched
The Colonnel, 42 x 34 cm, 2008
Biography Farhad ahrarnia
Farhad Ahrarnia was born in Shiraz, Iran in 1971. He graduated in 1997 from Sheffield Hallam University, England. He works in a wide range of media, including textile, photography and video. Prior to his London debut – a solo exhibition at Leighton House (2008) – his solo shows included ‘Home’ at Besse Surtees House, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and at the Shipley Art Gallery, Tyne & Wear Museums, Gateshead (2004). Ahrarnia has also participated in numerous group exhibitions in the UK and internationally, most recently at Documenta XII, Germany (2007); the Sheffield Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2006); ‘Prelude’ at the Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford; ‘Palace & Mosque’ at the Islamic Arts Forum, Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Millennium Gallery, Sheffield (2006); ‘Art Sparkle’ at Leeds City Art Gallery; the touring exhibition, ‘Art Textiles 3’ (2004-2005); ‘Transformation’ at Manchester Museum; the touring exhibition, ‘Art of the Stitch’, at Hall Place, London, the Dutch Textile Museum, The Netherlands and The Williamson Art Gallery, Liverpool (2003-2004); ‘Home at Last’, at Harewood House Gallery, Leeds (2003); ‘One Landscape Many Views’, at the Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford (2003); the touring exhibition, ‘Tone’, at Leeds Metropolitan University Gallery, Bonington Art Gallery, Nottingham, and Impressions Gallery, York (2001-2003). He currently lives and works between Shiraz and Sheffield.
33 Stitched
The Colonnel, 42 x 34 cm, 2008
Biography Farhad ahrarnia
Farhad Ahrarnia was born in Shiraz, Iran in 1971. He graduated in 1997 from Sheffield Hallam University, England. He works in a wide range of media, including textile, photography and video. Prior to his London debut – a solo exhibition at Leighton House (2008) – his solo shows included ‘Home’ at Besse Surtees House, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and at the Shipley Art Gallery, Tyne & Wear Museums, Gateshead (2004). Ahrarnia has also participated in numerous group exhibitions in the UK and internationally, most recently at Documenta XII, Germany (2007); the Sheffield Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2006); ‘Prelude’ at the Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford; ‘Palace & Mosque’ at the Islamic Arts Forum, Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Millennium Gallery, Sheffield (2006); ‘Art Sparkle’ at Leeds City Art Gallery; the touring exhibition, ‘Art Textiles 3’ (2004-2005); ‘Transformation’ at Manchester Museum; the touring exhibition, ‘Art of the Stitch’, at Hall Place, London, the Dutch Textile Museum, The Netherlands and The Williamson Art Gallery, Liverpool (2003-2004); ‘Home at Last’, at Harewood House Gallery, Leeds (2003); ‘One Landscape Many Views’, at the Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford (2003); the touring exhibition, ‘Tone’, at Leeds Metropolitan University Gallery, Bonington Art Gallery, Nottingham, and Impressions Gallery, York (2001-2003). He currently lives and works between Shiraz and Sheffield.
33 Stitched
Dar Boostan, 45 x 45 cm, 2008 | Bird of Baghdad, 20 x 14 cm, 2007 | Birds of Shiraz, 46 x 47 cm, 2008 | Dar Golestan, 39 x 51 cm, 2008
Stitched 18
35 Stitched
Dar Boostan, 45 x 45 cm, 2008 | Bird of Baghdad, 20 x 14 cm, 2007 | Birds of Shiraz, 46 x 47 cm, 2008 | Dar Golestan, 39 x 51 cm, 2008
Stitched 18
35 Stitched
I Love Baghdad, 20 x 14 cm, 2006
Š Farhad Ahrarnia and Beyond Art Productions, 2008 ISBN: 978-0-9559515-1-0 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher. All works are digital photography on cotton aida and embroidered. All illustrated full page images are slightly cropped. Editor & Curator Rose Issa Co-Curator Juliet Cestar Deputy Editor Francesca Ricci Design Normal Industries Copy Editor Katia Hadidian Printing Crossgate Press Special thanks to all the lenders Published by
I Love Baghdad, 20 x 14 cm, 2006
Š Farhad Ahrarnia and Beyond Art Productions, 2008 ISBN: 978-0-9559515-1-0 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher. All works are digital photography on cotton aida and embroidered. All illustrated full page images are slightly cropped. Editor & Curator Rose Issa Co-Curator Juliet Cestar Deputy Editor Francesca Ricci Design Normal Industries Copy Editor Katia Hadidian Printing Crossgate Press Special thanks to all the lenders Published by
The Roots of a Scream, 36 x 30 cm, 2008
Artist Farhad Ahrarnia was born in Shiraz, Iran and now lives in the UK. The publication of this catalogue celebrates his first solo exhibition in London, curated by Rose Issa, at Leighton House Museum, summer 2008.
Stitched Farhad Ahrarnia