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"The Storyteller": a collection of contemporary narratives | Curated by Behrang Samadzadegan

April 26 – September 1, 2023

Sudarshan Shetty

Sudarshan Shetty

Untitled

2017

Recycled teak wood

72 x 72 x 90 in

80 x 40 x 12 in

Wim Delvoye

Wim Delvoye

Le Denicheur des Aigles

2018

Painted Bronze

236 x 152 x 120 cm

Farideh Lashai

Farideh Lashai

El Amel

2011

Projected animated images

on paintings

acrylics on canvas and sound

painting

200 x 200 cm

Zeinab Al Hashemi

Zeinab Al Hashemi

Camouflage 1.618: The Unfinished Obelisk

Part of Foreverisnow second edition at the Pyramids of Giza

2022

Camel Hides, steel rods

Photo courtesy Hesham Al Saifi

Azza AlQubaisi

Azza AlQubaisi

Al Manhal

2009

Wood

70 x 80 x 150 cm

Naeemeh Kazemi

Naeemeh Kazemi

LaLa Land

Oil on Canvas

2023

165 x 200 cm

Naeemeh Kazemi

Naeemeh Kazemi

LaLa Land

Oil on Canvas

2023

165 x 200 cm

Marcos Grigorian

Marcos Grigorian

Earth work

1963

Mixed media and soil on

canvas

85.09 x 41.91 x 6.35 cm

Melis Buyruk

Melis Buyruk

Falcon’s Habitat

2022

Porcelain, 18K gold detailed

175 x 155 cm

Melis Buyruk

Melis Buyruk

Colour of Night

2022

Black Poercelain, copper

decorated

147 x 117 cm

Ghada Amer

Ghada Amer

The Sleeping Girl

2014

Ceramic

33 x 30 x 7.5 in

Lin Jingjing

Lin Jingjing

Fully, Beautifully

2023

Acrylic, silk thread, archival

pigment print on canvas

100 x 100 cm

Lin Jingjing

Lin Jingjing

From the Vinatge Fable

2023

Acrylic, silk thread, archival

pigment print on canvas

100 x 100 cm

Lin Jingjing

Lin Jingjing

More Than Ever

2023

Acrylic, silk thread, archival

pigment print on canvas

100 x 100 cm

Shirin Neshat

Shirin Neshat

Turbulant series

1998

Photograph

Shirin Neshat

Shirin Neshat

Turbulant series

1998

Photograph

Shirin Neshat

Shirin Neshat

Unveiling (from the Women of

Allah series)

1993

Photograph

150.5 x 101.5 cm

Shirin Neshat

Shirin Neshat

Untitled (from the Tooba)

Series)

2002

Photograph

50.2 x 61.5 cm

Sudarshan Shetty

Sudarshan Shetty

Untitled

2017

Recycled teak wood

27.56h x 13.39w x 31.10d in

70h x 34w x 79d cm

Lorenzo Quinn

Lorenzo Quinn

Together

Matte white carrara marble

Polished white carrara

marble

68 x 117 x 67 cm

Robert Wilson

Robert Wilson

Lady Gaga: Mlle. Caroline

Rivière

HD video seamless loop, 2013

Music by Michael Galasso

85” Screen

Edition 1 of 3, 2/3, 3/3

AP 1 of 2, 2/2, 3/3 avail

Robert Wilson

Robert Wilson

Elk

UHD video seamless loop,

2018

Score composed by Bear

Kirkpatrick

75” screen

Edition 2 of 3, 3/3

AP 1 of 3 2/3, 3/3 avail

Behrang Samadzadegan

Behrang Samadzadegan

Vice

2022

Watercolor on cotton paper

138 x 210 cm

Behrang Samadzadegan

Behrang Samadzadegan

The Fall of the Castle

2022

Watercolor on cotton paper

160 x 260 cm overall

Reza Aramesh

Reza Aramesh

Action 146: Friday April 25,

2003 at 07:55

2015

Hand sculpted porcelain on

charred wood plinth

19 x 68 x 54 in

Reza Aramesh

Reza Aramesh

Polaroid of Action 36 :

(Actual large scale image not

produced)

2011

5h x 4w in12.70h x 10.16w cm

Reza Aramesh

Reza Aramesh

Action 143-1

2015

B&W print on fiber paper,

Mounted on archival board,

and Framed in walnut wood

68 x 50 x 2.5 in

Parinaz Eleish Gharagozlou

Parinaz Eleish Gharagozlou

All For Sale

2022

Mixed media and collage

on canvas

122 x 92 cm

Parinaz Eleish Gharagozlou

Parinaz Eleish Gharagozlou

What of the Broken Roof

of My House

2022

Mixed media and collage

on canvas

185 x 305 cm

Arash Nazari

Arash Nazari

Bizhan Slays Nasiban and

Stems the Turanin Night Raid

2022

Oil on Canvas

150 x 450 cm

Marwan Sahmarani

Marwan Sahmarani

Neighborhood 2

2022

Oil on Canvas

70 x 90 cm

Marwan Sahmarani

Marwan Sahmarani

Neighborhood 1

2022

Oil on Canvas

70 x 90 cm

Marwan Sahmarani

Marwan Sahmarani

Under the Sun

2022

Oil on Canvas

200 x 185 cm

Nathaniel Aric Galka

Nathaniel Aric Galka

"and away we go... fun fun fun...""

2021

Oil on marble plastered jute on panel

on panel

26 x 21 cm

Nathaniel Aric Galka

Nathaniel Aric Galka

"blooms made for you..."

2021

Oil on marble plastered jute

on panel

30.5 x 30.5 cm

Nathaniel Aric Galka

Nathaniel Aric Galka

“there is more to the story…”

Oil on Marble Plaster Jute on

Panel

102 x 82 cm

Alaattin Efe

Alaattin Efe

Thinking Disorder,

2019

Charcoal on paper

120 x 80 cm

Alaattin Efe

Alaattin Efe

Soul 

2018

Charcoal on paper

120 x 80 cm

Press Release

Dubai, UAE – Leila Heller Gallery is pleased to announce its group show titled “The Storyteller”, opening on 26th April, curated by Behrang Samadzadegan, featuring artists Wim Delvoye, Azza Al Qubaisi, Zeinab Alhashemi, Melis Buyruk, Parinaz Eleish Gharagozlou, Nathaniel Aric Galka, Robert Wilson, Lorenzo Quinn, Lin Jingjing, Ran Hwang, Naeemeh Kazemi, Arash Nazari, Marwan Sahmarani, Alaattin Efe, Farideh Lashai, Ghada Amer, Shirin Neshat, Marcos Grigorian, Ana D’ Castro, Reza Aramesh and Behrang Samadzadegan.

Contemporary art is often seen as challenging and even perplexing, with artworks that may seem abstract or devoid of traditional forms of representation. However, at the heart of much contemporary art lies a powerful narrative or story, one that the artist is seeking to communicate. Artists who work with narratives may use a variety of mediums, from painting and sculpture to video and installation art. In each case, the artist is using their chosen medium to create a narrative that engages the viewer and invites them to consider complex issues and ideas.

One way in which artists use narrative is to tell stories about themselves or their personal experiences. Other artists use narrative to explore social and political issues, such as race, gender, identity, and political crisis, and some use. narrative to create fictional worlds or alternate realities. In all of these cases, the artist is acting as a storyteller, using their chosen medium to create a narrative that engages and challenges the viewer. By working with narrative, contemporary artists are able to create works that are not only visually striking but also intellectually and emotionally stimulating.

The artists selected for this exhibition aim to convey the power of storytelling through a focus on contextual and situational realities. By observing and reflecting on these realities, they seek to intensify the empathic perception of intimacy, fragility, and micro-history. The singularity and authenticity of each situation and contextual meaning are crucial elements in their approach to storytelling. By emphasizing the concreteness of singular, situational, and contextual realities, the artists hope to create a poetic and powerful narrative that enhances sensitivity to the diverse and complex anthropological realities of our world.

Overall, it seems that the artists are exploring the ways in which contemporary narratives can be shaped by the relevance of specific contextual or situational meanings. By highlighting the lived realities of individuals and communities, they hope to create a more nuanced and empathetic understanding of the world around us. Walter Benjamin's essay "The Storyteller: Reflections on the Works of Nikolai Leskov" reflects on the loss of the art of storytelling and the impact of industrialization and modernity on traditional forms of communication. Benjamin argues that the act of storytelling is more than just a means of transmitting information, but a way of connecting individuals to their cultural and historical roots.

The exhibition title, inspired by Benjamin's essay, suggests that the art of storytelling is still present today but is in danger of being lost. It emphasizes the importance of retaining and preserving stories as a means of keeping alive our cultural heritage. The title also alludes to the idea that the act of storytelling is a communal activity, one that requires both a storyteller and a listener. Through the act of listening, the listener becomes a part of the story and is able to retain it in their memory, passing it on to others in the future. Overall, the exhibition title suggests that the art of storytelling is a valuable cultural tradition that needs to be preserved and nurtured in the face of modernity and technological progress.

“For storytelling is always the art of repeating stories, and this art is lost when the stories are no longer retained. It is lost because there is no more weaving and spinning to go on while they are being listened to. The more selfforgetful the listener is, the more deeply is what he listens to impressed upon his memory. When the rhythm of work has seized him, he listens to the tales in such a way that the gift of retelling them comes to him all by itself. This, then, is the nature of the web in which the gift of storytelling is cradled. This is how today it is becoming unravelled at all its ends after being woven thousands of years ago in the ambience of the oldest forms of craftsmanship” Walter Benjamin, ‘The Storyteller: Reflections on the Works of Nikolai Leskov, 1936.

Text by Behrang Samadzadegan