KATES-FERRI PROJECTS in collaboration with curator Micaela Giovannotti is delighted to announce that conceptual and performance artist SHIRIN ABEDINIRAD is the Artist in Residence for the month of April 2024
No mirror ever became iron again;
No bread ever became the wheat in the stack. No ripened grape ever became a sour fruit; No mature fruit ever became premature fruit.
Mature yourself and be secure from a change for the worse; Go, become the Light.
-Rumi
Mirrors have long served as symbols of self-reflection and awareness. The doors repre- sent rigidity; the mirrors suggest receptivity. And in the liminal space between, we dis- cover that the choice to transform our perspective resides within ourselves.
Shirin Abedinirad’s Reflective Journey series echoes the sentiment of the 13th century poet Rumi’s verses which suggest that an unrefined soul can polish itself to attain enlight- enment, just as base metal smoothes into a reflective mirror.
Reflective Journey was inspired by the boundless adaptability of our hearts and minds as we commit to enlightened understanding over calcified assumption. It emphasizes the materials transformative capacity to underscore humanity's innate resilience. Just as one can shift their physical stance to alter the installation's visual impact, so we too can adjust our outlook to uncover new possibilities where once we saw only constraints.
At Kates-Ferri Projects, the Artist will premiere a pioneering Virtual Land Art work con- ceived to enhance accessibility and foster inclusivity: Reflective Journey (2024). Debuted at the prestigious Art Dubai Digital 2024, this piece marks a significant milestone in the fusion of traditional art forms with digital innovation, extending beyond the tangible and providing a virtual reality experience that allows for a metaphysical journey through the installation. These digital dimensions represent an open invite to a global audience to engage with "Reflective Journey," transcending physical limitations and embodying a sus- tainable, traceless interaction with art and nature.
Accompanying the Land Art piece is a minted NFT, created through Foundation which serves as a bridge, extending the artwork's presence into the Metaverse. This project is an integral component of the Reflective Journey series realized for the first time for the Commagene Art and River Biennale in Turkey. Here the site-specific installation repur- posed reclaimed wooden doors from a local market that were relics of the February 2023 earthquake aftermath in Adiyaman, Turkey.
On April 20th at 6pm sharp, we invite you to experience in person Shirin Abedini- rad’s NY premiere of the performance ALMA. All guests are asked to wear black.
ALMA is a powerful practice of self-reflection and self-portraiture exploring themes of identity, autonomy, and the complexities of cultural representation in an ever-evolving geopolitical landscape. In this evocative performative work, Abedinirad faces herself, gaz- ing softly as she slowly brushes black paint onto her own image. Through this visual met- aphor, Abedinirad challenges conventional notions of belonging, prompting audiences to confront the erasure of individuality in the face of societal expectations and stereotypes.
During her residency in New York, the Artist will be experimenting on new ideas and looks forward to connecting with the cultural landscape as well as drawing inspiration from con- versations and encounters.
About the Artist:
Born in Tabriz, Iran in 1986, Shirin began her artistic journey with painting before going on to earn degrees in graphic design and fashion. While researching conceptual overlaps between fashion and conceptual art, she became fascinated by performance and started staging public interventions confronting issues of gender, sexuality, and human compas- sion back in Iran. Shirin's practice took a pivotal turn after a 2013 desert experience led her to create land and installation works centering natural imagery. Using minimalist ar- rangements of elemental materials like water, mirrors, and light, she crafts liminal spaces that serve as portals to transcend separation from the living Earth. The optical effects generated reflect back our inherent belonging.
Exhibiting worldwide in festivals and biennials since 2010, Shirin's work has been show- cased across Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and North America. Her most recent projects include the Oku-Noto Triennial in the city of Suzu (Japan), The Comma- gene Art and River Biennial in Adiyaman (Turkey), Lumiere Festival in Durham (UK) last November. She is the author of a Persian-language book “Fashion and Conceptual Art in the 21st Century," the recipient of numerous grants and awards, and holds an MFA from Michigan State University.
Currently splitting her time between the United States and overseas projects, Shirin con- tinues her conceptual exploration into the essence of selfhood and its relationship with nature through varied types of new media art. By poetically awakening our shared divinity, she invites us to heal the planet as an act of compassion.
About the Curator:
Micaela Giovannotti is a curator and writer based in New York and London. Former US editor of Tema Celeste magazine, she has curated extensively for international organiza- tions, museums and art fairs and nurtured the career of many well known artists. She was Curator-in-Residence for Art Omi and curator and board member for More Art. She is a member of IKT International Associations of Curators of Contemporary Art and AICA In- ternational Associations of Art Critics.
Follow Artist on Instagram @shirin.abedinirad
Quiet Lunch Artist Profile Interview with curator Micaela Giovannotti