Ardeshir Mohassess

Book excerpt: The first publication to include full colour reproductions of the artist's drawings throughout his career; it includes a 1973 interview between the artist and Iranian poet, Esmail Kho'i translated into English for the first time. The catalogue and exhibition it accompanies are co-curated by Shirin Neshat and Nicky Nodjoumi, two well known contemporary Iranian artists who provide a particular perspective on the artist and his subjects Ardeshir Mohassess: Art and Satire in Iran brings together approximately 70 of Mohassess's rarely-seen drawings, on loan from the Library of Congress in Washington DC and from several private collections in the US. Many of these have never been published in a book or catalogue, and several of the early works were censored in his native country. The book reveals this artist's significant impact on both the international art scene and news media. The catalogue (checklist of the exhibition) is organised in two sections: works created before the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and those created after the Revolution. Ardeshir Mohassess has been living in self-imposed exile since 1976; after enduring harassment from his native country's national police, he fled to France. In 1979 he moved to the United States, where he has remained. Today, he is considered to be one of the most significant living Iranian artists. AUTHOR: Shirin Neshat was born in 1957 in Qazvin, Iran. Neshat moved to the United States in 1974. Neshat has exhibited her photography, film, and video works internationally and is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Infinity Award for Visual Art from the International Center for Photography (New York), and First International Prize at the 48th Venice Biennale (Italy). Nicky Nodjoumi was born in Kermanshah, Iran in 1942. After graduating from CUNY in 1975, he returned to Iran with plans to teach art. Soon after the 1979 revolution, Nodjoumi had a retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tehran; the show was labelled anti-revolutionary and he was forced to leave Iran. Hamid Dabashi was born in 1951 in the south-western city of Ahvaz in the Khuzestan province of Iran. He is the Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in New York, the oldest and most prestigious Chair in Iranian Studies. He is a renowned cultural critic and award-winning author. Esmail Kho'i is a renowned Iranian poet and writer. 83 colour & 3 b/w illustrations