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With a quick glance at Karim Nasr’s works throughout his career, it can be concluded that The Last Hills of The East stands out as a milestone in his development. This collection distinguishes itself from the rest of his works both technically and in terms of content.
For along time, the artistic and cultural creations conceived outside the Euro-American hemisphere have been looked upon in the West as a peculiar and unfamiliar “package” and in their totality, with total disregard to their content and substance. This approach, adopted mainly by western observers, is ironic as these works have been created in a greater and more diverse part of the world than the West itself. Out of these so called “packages”, the “Iranian package” has a more prominent and distinguished history. Although the roots of such an approach date back to previous centuries, its contemporary consequences and effects are visible and felt mostly in the art of the Middle East. The increasing number of venues exhibiting “Iranian Art” in recent years is indicative of this. These “packages” have prompted Euro-American observers to probe into the artistic and cultural characteristics of a distant country, Iran. However, the likelihood of these observers probing deeper into the substance of these “packages” remains minimal as they only look at these on the surface and in their totality, merely enjoying them as a visual shock!
The Last Hills of The East is confronting and challenging such an approach. Nasr has placed a collection of the clichéd Euro-American images in front of subjects perceived by the viewer as from Iranian culture. These two elements, eastern and western, are projecting themselves as a unified totality and create a surprisingly harmonious impression in the viewer’s mind: just like a tourist’s first impression on arriving in a new territory.
Nasr’s latest collection challenges the casual and shallow approach to Iranian art and culture. He incorporates various images emanating from the two hemispheres in the same frame, totally disregarding their point of origin.
The Euro-Americanattitude of indifference towards the substantial is also evident in Iranian art exhibitions and classical museums which display cultural elements and objects while ignoring their correlations and historical context.
The Last Hills of The East is a loud cry, trying to put an end to this primitive, incomplete and unjust approach.
| آخرین تپه شرق علی اتحاد |
کریم نصر |
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