SAMANE ATEF

Samane Atef je iranska umetnica čije radove možete videti na Trijenalu umetnosti samoukih vizionara u umetničkom paviljonu “Cvijeta Zuzorić” u Beogradu, najkasnije do 21.11.2016.

Muzej naivne i marginalne umetnosti u Jagodini (MNMU) zadivljujućim izložbenim aktivnostima i sadržajima oplemenjuje stvaralaštvom, volim da kažem, “svojeglavih” umetnika. Umetnika koji toliko jako doživljavaju i likovno izražavaju svoj svet da on postaje svet i slika svih nas.

Pažnju mi je posebno privukao rad iranske umetnice Samane Atef, čiji sam fejsbuk fan. Želeo sam da saznam nešto više o njenom radu, njenim počecima bavljenja umetnošću, odnosu iranskog društva prema ovakvoj vrsti umetnosti i umetnicama uopšte. Razgovarali smo dugo na nekom čudnom engleskom jeziku ali smo se razumeli. Pokazala mi je puno crteža, od nekoliko njenih prvenaca pa do najnovih radova. Jedan je započela u avionu dok je putovala za Beograd. Insistirala je da mi pokloni jedan crtež u znak novog prijateljstva i ovom prilikom joj se javno zahvaljujem.

Odmah mi je rekla da misli da nije psihički normalna jer crta tako kako crta, kako nema nikakvu podršku i razumevanje i da crta jer tako pobeđuje depresiju koju oseća par godina unazad.

Prijavila se na konkurs Trijenala i direktorka MNMU Nina Krstić joj je pružila veliku podršku koja će joj, nadam se, promeniti život na bolje i učiniti da izlaže i radi mnogo više.

U znak podrške njenom radu, premijerno objavljujemo intervjuu sa Samane, koja je prva inostrana umetnica na našem sajtu.

Intervju je ustvari zapisani deo razgovora dvoje umetnika sa različitih delova planete. Nisam novinar ni istoričar umetnosti samo pokušavam da zabeležim nešto vredno što nam se dešava “ispred nosa”.

Žalim što nisam mogao da razgovaram sa ostalim umetnicima.

“I was born in Bandar Abbas on 5 September 1989, and I live in the town of Astane Ashrafiyeh in the Guilan district on the north of Iran. My field of study is a software engineering technology

I am an outside artist. It has been about 2 years that I am painting frequently. The subjects of my works are completely personal, and all depends on my personal feelings and also different motivations. My works are painted by different materials and also various techniques. There is no limitation for that. I do painting almost every day.”

Samane, when we spoke in Belgrade, you told me that you draw from child ages but you started more seriously when you feel depressed. I think, depressive period is a completely natural mental state in the life of every creative person. Your works are seemingly simple but bringing deep feelings. They speak a universal language and on the other hand carry the characteristics of the society they belong. Unfortunately, I know very little about contemporary Iranian art, but I think you’re the only known woman artist from Iran.

The first drawing that you showed me is the portrait of Frida Kahlo. Let’s start the interview of your relationship with her. How did you come to identify yourself with the Frida Kahlo?

I had one friend who knew Frida and bought her a book and gave it to me as a gift. I was really depressed during that period when I was reading about Frida and her work. In that moments I really felt, I was as same as her in lots of features, her personal life was closed to my personal life.

She became my real friend and I lived with her and decided to be a symbol and famous person like her and I still have this decision and aim.

Drawing was my real major point against my depression. The more I draw, the more I feel better and when I don’t paint, I feel like something is lost.

I was lucky because I saw your first works, starting with the portraits of Frida Kahlo and also I saw your new works and that are quite different. New drawings which you do by pens are artistic very rich. They have a great rhythm, coloration, forms are simplified, obtained and filled with different types of lines. I notice that your main motives in drawings are women, angels, branched tree without foliage, a bunch of human heads with joint bodies, etc. You told me that you love to observe people and you are getting impression of them in the art. It is your empathy with people who are generally on the edge of a social system, simply, people who live hard and earn for living. Tell me first what you see in these people and how they inspire you?

Thanks for your words and kindness. Yes, as I said I get a lot of impression from people in my artworks, and it’s because I have the ability to touch their feelings about everything and even the bodies and other people. In my country, women are always punished and viewed as a weak human being and I have always seen this behavior in my country about female gender. But I believe that women are not weak beings and even in some cases of thinking and acting they are really much stronger than any type of men. To be honest, I am not a feminist, but I really want females to be seen and supported more in my country. I just try to show the reality of women’s lives in my arts. And some of my other paintings are about my thoughts and dreams.

There were a lot of female outsider artist in Iran who died recently, like Mokarameh Ghanbari and Nane Hasan, but I think, now I am the only outsider artist In Iran and if they are more, I admit that I don’t know them and don’t have any news.

In regards to subjects of paintings I should say that I am sure to have ability to think and imagine.

Precisely such expressiveness is what inspires me in your work, unobtrusiveness. It is so sincere and profound that takes archetypal forms. I think that’s one of the reasons why more and more you becoming known outside of Iran. Your world on the drawings come from the collective unconscious of man and speaks of the eternal theme. Suffering, pain, injustice, loneliness and aggression flooded the world today. The way in which you talk about these topics through art is an alluring and gentle for the eye of the beholder. Some drawings seems frightening, but do not intend to frighten but more likely to alert and provoke sympathy, and perhaps in that way you can change a little for a better man and world.

You told me that you do not have the support and understanding in your society and that the exhibition at the Triennale art of self-taught visionary in Belgrade, Serbia is the first exhibition in your life. How did it happened that your work come to this exhibition?

I am really grateful for your profound and sincere look and observation on my artworks. The main aim of mine in my work is to build a world full of beauty and goodness and as a painter or artist I think I should deal with this subject. I become friend with Nina Krstic on the Facebook and I saw some pictures of Museum. I got interested and sent my artworks.

Later on, she asked me that if I had sent the paintings for the triennial exhibition. Then I answered yes, but I was not really expecting anything. I happened to send my works and I was so lucky since they informed me that 2 of my works are selected for the exhibition.

Great, I’m glad you’re in Serbia to begin exhibiting career. You spoke to me about the need to somehow expand your artistic expression. Is it a sculpture, installation, performance, maybe? I know you’re doing dolls and as a child you used to make different figures out of bread.

Ok, what would you recommend for working and cooperating in future?!

I think you need to paint on larger formats and on solid substrates in a manner such as drawing. I think it will be open the door for further innovations in your creativity. Also, you can put in painting lines by scratching the surface and combine all. Of course it is difficult to tell. I hope that Museum of Naive and Marginal art will call you again in Serbia and we can work together with many artists.

Thank you for your interesting ideas. I have some works in larger sizes but there was no time to show you. Yes of course there is no limitation in my works and it possible to use collage in my works and examine every types of new ideas.

Do you think, after this exhibition and good impressions from the audience, that you have psychological problems or you are just alone in that way in art?

Yes, I got lots of outstanding feedbacks from the audience. They say my art is really personal and it has been coming form in my loneliness.

Samane Atef u Beogradu, oktobar 2016.
Razgovor vodio Goran Stojčetović
Fotografije: Samane Atef
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samaneselftaughtartist
Instagram: @samane.atef.derakhshan
email: samane_atef@yahoo.com