Sharjah Art Foundation is proud to present the major retrospective Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian: Sunset, Sunrise, on view through Saturday, 28 December 2019 at the Foundation’s Al Hamriyah Studios. Organised in collaboration with the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin (IMMA), Sunset, Sunrise is the first retrospective of the late artist’s work since her passing earlier this year. With a distinguished career spanning more than six decades, Farmanfarmaian is considered one of the most important contemporary artists of her time.
‘It has been our great pleasure to collaborate with the Museum of Modern Art in Ireland on this timely exhibition celebrating the work of one of the most important and influential artists of the last century,’ said Hoor Al Qasimi, Director of Sharjah Art Foundation and Co-Curator of Sunset, Sunrise. 'Over the course of her remarkable life and career, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian has made an essential contribution to the story of 20th century modernism.’
Born in 1924 in Qazvin, Iran, Farmanfarmaian moved to New York in 1945. She spent a number of years as part of the New York art scene, where she developed friendships with fellow artists such as Frank Stella and Andy Warhol. In 1957, she returned to Iran, but after the Iranian Revolution of 1979, she found herself exiled to New York. In 2004, she was able to return to her homeland, where she lived and worked for the remainder of her life.
Reflecting influences from her time in both Tehran and New York, the artist’s work is a unique combination of traditional Persian techniques and contemporary Western abstraction. The show’s title, Sunset, Sunrise, invokes the sky that both separates and connects the East and West, a motif that is recurrent throughout her work.
This exhibition includes more than 70 works in mediums ranging from painting, sculpture and jewellery to collages and works on paper. Farmanfarmaian’s signature mirrored works as well as some of her rarely exhibited works are also on view.
This exhibition is organised by IMMA, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Ireland, in collaboration with Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE, and co-curated by Rachel Thomas (Senior Curator: Head of Exhibitions, IMMA) and Hoor Al Qasimi (President and Director, Sharjah Art Foundation). It was previously on view at IMMA from August to November 2018.
The exhibition is accompanied by a fully-illustrated catalogue co-published by IMMA and Sharjah Art Foundation. The publication features contributions from Rahel Aima, Hoor Al Qasimi, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Tina Kinsella, Caoimhín Mac Giolla Léith, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Rachel Thomas and Murtaza Vali, together with poetry by Michael Davitt, Rumi and Sohrab Sepehri.
A new limited edition print of a work by Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, titled Sunrise, is available for purchase at the foundation’s art shops.
Click here to learn more.
This solo exhibition is part of Sharjah Art Foundation’s autumn season. Currently on view are Lasting Impressions: Adam Henein; Akram Zaatari: Against Photography. An Annotated History of the Arab Image Foundation; ’32: The Rescore, the second annual Air Arabia Curator in Residence Exhibition; Bani Abidi: Funland; and the March Project 2019 Exhibition. These September and October shows will be followed by the openings of Marwan Rechmaoui: Slanted Squares on 2 November and SHARJAPAN2 on 20 December. This season will also see the second editions of the annual art book fair FOCAL POINT in November and the annual film festival Sharjah Film Platform (SFP) in December.
All Sharjah Art Foundation exhibitions are free and open to the public. Visit sharjahart.org to plan your visit and book a free guided tour.
About Sharjah Art Foundation
Sharjah Art Foundation is an advocate, catalyst and producer of contemporary art within the Emirate of Sharjah and the surrounding region, in dialogue with the international arts community. Under the leadership of founder Hoor Al Qasimi, a curator and artist, the foundation advances an experimental and wide-ranging programmatic model that supports the production and presentation of contemporary art, preserves and celebrates the distinct culture of the region and encourages a shared understanding of the transformational role of art. The foundation’s core initiatives include the long-running Sharjah Biennial, featuring contemporary artists from around the world; the annual March Meeting, a convening of international arts professionals and artists; grants and residencies for artists, curators and cultural producers; ambitious and experimental commissions and a range of travelling exhibitions and scholarly publications.
Established in 2009 to expand programmes beyond the Sharjah Biennial, which launched in 1993, the foundation is a critical resource for artists and cultural organisations in the Gulf and a conduit for local, regional and international developments in contemporary art. The foundation’s deep commitment to developing and sustaining the cultural life and heritage of Sharjah is reflected through year-round exhibitions, performances, screenings and educational programmes in the city of Sharjah and across the Emirate, often hosted in historic buildings that have been repurposed as cultural and community centres. A growing collection reflects the foundation’s support of contemporary artists in the realisation of new work and its recognition of the contributions made by pioneering modern artists from the region and around the world.
Sharjah Art Foundation is a legally independent public body established by Emiri Decree and supported by government funding, grants from national and international nonprofits and cultural organisations, corporate sponsors and individual patrons. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.
About Sharjah
Sharjah is the third largest of the seven United Arab Emirates and the only one bridging the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Reflecting the deep commitment to the arts, architectural preservation and cultural education embraced by its ruler, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Sharjah is home to more than 20 museums and has long been known as the cultural hub of the United Arab Emirates. In 1998, it was named UNESCO's 'Arab Capital of Culture' and has been designated the UNESCO ‘World Book Capital’ for the year 2019.
Media Contact
Alyazeyah Al Reyaysa
+971(0)65444113
alyazeyah@sharjahart.org
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