Tropenmuseum

Inside Iran – A Retrospective of Khosrow Hassanzadeh

As one of the few Iranian artitsts that are successful in the West, Hassanzadeh has deliberately chosen to live and work in Iran. His paintings focus on political and social developments in his country, and tie in intimately with his own personal experiences and vision. The Tropenmuseum show features a series of paintings about Hassanzadeh’s period as a frontline soldier during the Iran-Iraq war. These and other works can be seen from 22 September at the Parkzaal.

Khosrow Hassanzadeh (b. 1963) is one of Iran’s leading artists. His Iranian background is his principal inspiration: in his work he concentrates on events linked to the culture and recent history of Iran. Hassanzadeh does not avoid sensitive subjects in his art. Themes that are found in his paintings include the Iran-Iraq war, the position of women, the recent war against terrorism and the accompanying image of Iran from a Western perspective. Khosrow’s paintings and screen prints offer a visual commentary, at once personal and political, from inside Iranian society.

Khosrow Hassanzadeh’s work contains many references to Iran’s visual religious culture and the visual imagery of state propaganda. By using a mix of graphic techniques, painting and Photoshop, Hassanzadeh creates a unique visual idiom, almost like pop-art, with which he emphasises his vision. His idiosyncratic and critical analyses have made him little-loved by the Iranian regime.

Terrorist

Five series of works by Hassanzadeh are featured in the Tropenmuseum exhibition. ‘Terrorist’ (2004) is a series that began as a reaction to Bush’s declaration that Iran was part of an the Axis of Evil. By portraying himself and his family as ‘terrorists’ Hassanzadeh challenges the Western perception of the Islamic world. The medium Khosrow uses, screen print on canvas, refers to the religious propaganda of the Iranian regime. By adopting the same medium, while giving it a different content, Hassanzadeh criticises both Islamic and Western forms of propaganda. The series, which the Tropenmuseum has purchased, can be considered a declaration of independence; from the West and from Islamic radicalism.

War’ (1998) a sombre series about the Iran-Iraq war, is diametrically opposed to the government version of events. The latter is characterised by colourful scenes eulogising and honouring martyrs. Heroes and pride are a long way off in Khosrow’s highly personal description of the Iran-Iraq war (1980 and 1988). A war in which he fought on the frontline and around a million people lost their life.

Other series presented in the museum are Prostitutes, Ashura and Pahlavan. The large size and colourful palette of his paintings reflect Khosrow’s vision and experiences relating to subjects and opinions in and about Iran.

A bilingual catalogue accompanies the exhibition (English and Farsi), entitled: ‘ ‘Tehran Studio Works-The Art of Khosrow Hassanzadeh’ published by Saqi Books, London.