The second edition of ’Eco(ed) Visions II’, brings together artists whose works explore nature's sanctuary amidst the urban sprawl, forging an intimate connection.

Delving into the complex relationship between urbanisation, aesthetics, and nature, contemporary thinker Mark Foster Gage advocates for an understanding that transcends mere superficiality. He proposes that urbanisation has transformed architectural edifices into the primary backdrop of our reality, diminishing nature’s role in human life as a leisurely destination.

When the insatiable pursuit of a human-centric world is constructed upon the demise of the natural environment, a poignant realisation surfaces. As the relentless tide of urbanisation swells, a palpable reliance on art to fill the void left by nature becomes a necessary consequence. The trajectory toward a future where artistic depictions wield heightened significance, capturing not only images but their very essence, invites contemplation.

It is in this context that the artworks presented in ‘Eco(ed) Visions II’ convey visions of the human habitat, with depictions that defy idealised settings, ephemeral moments of ultimate truth, or an inaccessible, once-glorious world. These artistic expressions remind us of the intricate relationship between humanity and its environment, challenging us to confront the realization of our impact on our habitat.

In Salé Sharifi’s 'Onlooker', flora and fauna in scenes evoking the memory of a garden are disrupted by splashes of color, offering an abstract portrayal of mankind's impact on the serenity of nature and mirroring its gradual fading amid urbanisation. Refusing the separation of human life from nature, Hashel Al Lamki’s ‘Under The Mango Tree’ embodies a commitment to environmental preservation with a tribute to the artist’s formative introduction to ‘living off the grid’ through his grandfather. Similarly, Ali Akbar Sadeghi’s ‘Dream III’ inspires us to reestablish a balanced relationship with the environment we inhabit through a dizzying portrayal that unveils the structures of control over human and non-human bodies alike. Fereydoun Ave’s unique paper works engage with plants, elements, seasons and moods, stirring us to contemplate art's capacity to fill the empty space left by nature as the urban environment takes over. Reflecting a sense of hope, Sasan Abri’s ‘Upside Down’ contributes to the re-imagining of futures, offering a glimpse of optimism within the cyclical rhythms of time. This exploration of possibilities resonates in the work of Hadieh Shafie, where interconnected forms of expression are emancipated, inviting us to envision the transcendence of boundaries in our own constructed environments.

Together, the works in the exhibition echo an invitation for the re-imagining of futures that intertwine nature and human life over their constructed boundaries. Can we manifest new realities by widening our awareness of the relationship between the urban and the natural? What do we find when we seek sanctuary in nature against the backdrop of uncertainty and existential crises? How do we hold on to the visions of a new spring, waiting to be born again?



About the Artists:

Ali Akbar Sadeghi

Ali-Akbar Sadeghi, born in 1937, is a prominent figure in Iranian modern and contemporary art. His art practice began in 1952 when he received his first painting commission, and he went on to study at the College of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran in 1969. Sadeghi's prolific career includes works in a variety of disciplines including animation, illustration, sculpture, interior design, industrial design, and graphic design. He is among the few artists who remained faithful to the tradition of Persian Coffee-House paintings. Sadeghi has participated in over fifty solo and group exhibitions in Iran and internationally including La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland), and a major retrospective at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art in 2018. His work can be seen in a number of permanent collections at renowned museums such as the British Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. He has been a jury member at numerous international biennials and has won multiple prestigious international awards. Ali-Akbar Sadeghi's work has been extensively published, and the subject of many books and publications.

Fereydoun Ave

Fereydoun Ave, born in 1945, is an influential figure in Iranian contemporary art. He received his BA in Applied Arts for Theatre from Arizona State University (1964), studied Film at New York University (1969), and attended the University of Seven Seas (aka Semester at Sea, 1964). Over the past five decades, he has taken on many different roles as an artist, designer, art director, collector, curator, gallerist, and art patron. Fereydoun Ave's joint projects with artists, galleries (including Dastan), and institutions is an integral part of his practice, finding expression in his role as a curator, gallerist, and collector. His works have been featured in numerous solo exhibitions along with hundreds of group shows in galleries and museums around the world. Other than many notable private collections, works of Fereydoun Ave have been acquired by prestigious art institutions like the British Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, Cy Twombly Foundation, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art and Carnegie Museum.

Hadieh Shafie

Hadieh Shafie, born in 1969, is an Iranian-born visual artist based in the United States. Collapsing the space between drawing, painting, and sculpture, her practice is at once process-oriented and overwhelming in its intricacy. Shafie’s work is in many public collections, such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art; The Victoria and Albert Museum; Bank of America, Corporation Collection; Art in Embassies, and Public Collection in Dubai, UAE. Her series of text-based color pencil drawing works in this exhibition explore the interplay of forms and patterns and the use of semantics as a way to interrogate visual meaning in both personal and political domains. Her approach to her works is evocative of sound waves, ripples, and dances, speaking to the exhibition’s vision of a vision of transience as a trance.

Hashel Al Lamki

Hashel Al Lamki, born in 1986, is an Emirati painter and artist exploring the intricate relationship between humanity and its environments. Raised near Hafit Mountain in Al Ain, he witnessed the contrasting developments and traditional culture of the Gulf. Al Lamki has engaged in philanthropic projects in Guatemala, Haiti, and low-income communities in the US, emphasizing sustainability and social cohesion. He was awarded the Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship in 2014 and co-founded Bait 15, promoting critical dialogues among local artists. Al Lamki's international presence includes exhibitions like "The Cup and The Saucer" (2020) in Abu Dhabi, the 16th Lyon Biennale (2022), "East - East” UAE meets Japan Vol. 5, Atami Blues" (2022) in Japan, and "Beyond Emerging Artists" (2022) in Venice's Palazzo Franchetti.

Salé Sharifi

Salé Sharifi is a passionate painter of gardens. His works consistently feature lush paradises imbued with layers of social and political commentary. Through his paintings, Sharifi explores gardens as metaphors for a culture that has been both fetishized and left in ruins. The gardens he depicts appear stained, evoking distant memories or illusions of serenity. These paintings act as a reflection of a society that has drifted away from its historic roots, only retaining fragments of its former glory. Political and social history, literature, and commemoration are the original themes of his works up to the present day. His paintings’ expressiveness could be seen through a gentle navigation of his works.

Dana Dawud

Dana Dawud is a Dubai-based painter and filmmaker. Through painting, sound design, and film, she examines the way online existence shapes the aesthetics and politics of art production, elucidating how the digital space has fostered a new level of collaboration, participation, and co-creation.

Sasan Abri

Sasan Abri began his career as a self-taught photographer, before graduating from Mah-e-Mehr Cultural Institute - a driving force in Tehran's contemporary art scene. He later continued his studies under the guidance of recognized Iranian photographers and lecturers. Abri makes use of unusual cameras, such as pinhole cameras and Polaroid, the latter being one he especially enjoys working with. During the photographic processing, he manipulates the final result by experimenting with various chemicals to achieve his desired effect. Tehran is a dominant theme in his photographs and videos, through which he expresses his views on society and politics. The city, being a concrete jungle, prompts him to seek a semblance of sanctuary in nature, which he finds enchanting, unpredictable, and glorious. Abri has held five solo exhibitions and his works have been included in numerous national and international group shows

Claire Cical Quassine

Claire Cical, also known as Quassine, is a Fluxus artist from southwest France. She ventures into all areas of multimedia expression, with an experimental approach focused on discovery that allows her to map new territories to be explored in the light of the machines of her manufacture. The interlacing between analog and digital is always at the center of her research, attempting to reconcile the nature that nourishes her and the technological world that devours her.