Exhibition Dates: 27 Feb – 3 May
Private View: 26 Feb, 6 – 8pm
Aga Khan Centre Gallery presents an exhibition by the internationally renowned Iranian textile artist Bita Ghezelayagh.
Somewhere between an artisan and a conceptual artist, Ghezelayagh uses her individualistic style to add a distinctively modern character to textiles of the past. Her work evokes grand themes of courtship, kingship, communication and glories of war while simultaneously celebrating the humblest units of artistic creation: the stitch, knot and rivet.
The exhibition begins with an invitation into a darkened space that shimmers in the far corner, attracting the viewer to take a closer look. Tile-sized mirror works echo the elaborate muqarnas of Islamic architecture. These are placed in a more intimate space while her other works, bathed in light, catch the viewer’s eye with flashes of bright velvety colours and an array of textures and tones. The exhibition reveals the artist’s masterful and inventive use of her trademark materials: velvet, silk, felt and carpet fragments. Each piece is a showcase for her own probing creativity and the skill of the original masters who created the old textile pieces she uses.
Ghezelayagh’s works are the story of cutters, weavers, embroiderers and printers. Using their artefacts, the artist elevates items such as threadbare rugs to make a statement about our age of casual disposal. Her triptychs make use of discarded materials such as traditional scrubbing gloves, while her diptych, with its velvet woven over several months on a traditional loom, is decorated with the shapes of Cypress Trees. These are fashioned from scraps of carpets from the four corners of Iran, each one representative of a different artistic tradition, but meeting here as an expression of a bigger cultural whole.
The human body has been a point of departure for Ghezelayagh for much of her artistic life. Her work includes shepherds’ cloaks, carpet tunics and metal breastplates. The conundrum of human communication, represented by pen nib motifs, is also a preoccupation. She also uses mirror shapes to form compositions reminiscent of Islamic geometric patterns found throughout Iran that allude to her cultural heritage.
Ghezelayagh is an artist whose fascination with historical textile materials and contemporary objects inspires the need to rethread, retrace, renew and reinvent her collection of archival materials she has collected for most of her life. Her practice transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, giving a new sense of purpose by shifting a material’s identity.
This exhibition is supported by Aga Khan Foundation (UK).
For press information please contact Albany Arts Communications:
Carla von der Becke
carla@albanyartscommunications.com
t: +44 (0) 20 78 79 88 95; m: +44 (0) 79 74 25 29 94
Notes to Editors:
About Bita Ghezelayagh
Bita Ghezelayagh was born in Florence, Italy and lives in London. She has an MA in Architecture from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris La Villette. She worked for the Association of Iranian Calligraphers in Tehran and was art director of three notable Iranian films, including The Pear Tree by Dariush Mehrjui.
In 2003 she studied felt-making in Iran and had her first solo exhibition at the House of Artists Khane Honarmandan in Tehran in 2008. She has had numerous solo exhibitions both in the UK and internationally, including Rose Issa Projects, The Letter that never arrived and Felt Memories. Her touring exhibition Nomad: A Persian Journey in Felt at The Collins Gallery, University of Strathclyde also travelled to the Quilt Museum and Hawick Museum. She has had solo exhibitions also at Albahreh Gallery and Golestan Gallery, Tehran.
Ghezelayagh’s work has been exhibited in group exhibitions across the world including Lajevardi Foundation, Shirin Gallery, Aaran Projects Gallery in Tehran. She has taken part in major art festivals and exhibitions at Sharjah Museum of Contemporary Art, Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, the Jameel Prize at Victoria & Albert Museum, Institute du Monde Arab, Casa Arabe, Cantor Arts Centre, San Antonio Museum of Art, Centro Cultural Banco do Brazil, Beirut Exhibition Centre and Art Dubai.
Her work is within both public and private collections including the British Museum, the Farjam Foundation, Devi Art Foundation, Jameel Foundation and most recently within the Islamic Middle East Collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum.
About the Aga Khan Centre Gallery
Aga Khan Centre Gallery is a place of education, insight and cultural exchange and is home to a changing programme of exhibitions which aim to create a better understanding of Islam and Muslim cultures, past and present. The gallery programme will connect with the work of the three main institutes within the centre; Aga Khan Foundation, Aga Khan University - ISMC and Institute of Ismaili Studies. It will also connect with the wider Aga Khan Development Network, Aga Khan Trust for Culture and Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. The Aga Khan Gallery aims to significantly contribute to the cultural offer across London as well as nationally and internationally.
Exhibition Events
Talks:
Artist Talks by Bita Ghezelayagh
Saturdays 7 March & 25 April 10am FREE
Aga Khan Centre Gallery
Join the artist for a talk about her exhibition, her new works and the Iranian cultural heritage that influences it. This will be followed by a Q&A. Light refreshments will be provided.
To book your place please visit: https://bitatalks.eventbrite.co.uk
Universal Language of Stitch by Dr Susan Kay-Williams
Thursday 23 April at 6pm FREE
Atrium Conference Room, Aga Khan Centre
Dr Susan Kay-Williams, CEO of the Royal School of Needlework will explore the concept of stitch as a universal language in relation to both Bita Ghezelayagh’s exhibition as well as their Stitch is International exhibition opening in April at RSN, London. She will also introduce their exciting new project Stitch Bank which aims to collect all stitches from around the world as an online resource. There will be an opportunity to view examples of stitched work from the RSN Collection and take part in a Q&A.
To book your place please visit: https://rethreading.eventbrite.co.uk
Workshops:
Hand Embroidery Workshop with the Royal School of Needlework and Bita Ghezelayagh
Saturday 18 April 10am-4pm £60
Room 110, Aga Khan Centre
Taking inspiration from Bita’s exhibition and work, participants will learn a variety of hand embroidery stitches and embroider onto textured fabric or felt to create a unique textile piece. Participants will also enjoy a private view of the exhibition with the artist. All materials and equipment will be provided. Suitable for beginners but also those who already embroider but wish to learn some new techniques.
To book your place please visit: https://royal-needlework.org.uk/courses/day-classes/
Aga Khan Centre Gallery
10 Handyside Street
London N1C 4DN
Opening times: Mon- Sun, 10am - 6pm
www.AgaKhanCentre.org/gallery/
@AgaKhanCentreGallery
#BitaGhezelayagh
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