Mariam Nihal Saudi Gazette Tehran-based artist and architect, Ramin Shirdel is back after his his first collaboration with Ayyam Gallery through The Young Collectors Auction. Shirdel studied architecture at Tehran Art University and has worked with different mediums of art like painting, sculpting, photography and also architecture. Ayyam Gallery Dubai (DIFC) will host Shirdel?s solo exhibition ‘Whispers of Love' which is currently on from mid-May until June 5, 2014. He said this series promises to be a new experience for viewers. “I invite art lovers to come and see the works closely, because the artworks couldn't be perceived thorough pictures and it's a completely different experience when you see them in person and move around them.” Shirdel realized that the Ayyam Gallery is a great platform for Middle Eastern contemporary art which mirrors the vision of gallery founders, Khaled and Hisham Samawi. “It is very close to my aspect of art.” When asked what inspired ‘Whispers of Love' and how it alters the perception of ‘Love' these days, he explained that time has not changed the essence of romanticism. “I think in most love stories whether they are written as a novel or a poem like some legendary examples like Layly and Majnoon, or whether the story would be about a personal experience of contemporary time, there is always a lover who narrates the story praising his beloved and expressed his hopes while repeating her words. So I call these expressions Whispers of Love. The understanding of love doesn't alter and it's the reason we all experienced common sense with a poem or love story from past centuries.” Speaking about using words as a means to describe the emotional asset of his artwork, in this series, he said words are always accompanied by mental images which make audiences recognize the meaning. “Whatever meaning includes significant concepts; these images affect the audience deeper. Words used in this collection are main words from most love stories. Each word carries a side of the story like Ashegh (lover) when he imagines his beloved as a Aroos (bride) or he wishes for Sehr (magic) and even makes a Tohfe (master piece) for his beloved. So these words are the players of different stories could be written by different people. So words could signify unique images for each person. I have tried to use this feature with a special visual effect. This collection is conceptual and is one of my best experiences in my artistic life.” Shirdel believes his art transcends all mediums. “It's more significant to see how we use the capacity of the medium to express our ideas. Generally I'm interested in works which create a sense of continuity and depth whether it is mixed media, sculpture or a painting.” He said this series of his works are something mutable and immersed is space, so each work is a composition of a large number of pieces, which added the context of mixed media work. “It reminds me of a quote from great poet Rumi “Love is the whole thing, we are just pieces.” Talking about his love for art, he said: “Art for me is the language of unspeakable inner issues, like dreams, hopes and eagerness. So when you are making an art work, its feels like hearing impressive music, which transforms to figures, forms and ideas. I think my works and my vision of art is mostly inspired by my identity, so my experiences in physical and mental context like Tehran are a main part of this identity.” Shirdel loves works by expressionist painters and the imagination of Salvador Dali's paintings. “Classic works like a girl with pearl earring by Vermeer And for sure the great poets like Rumi and Hafez.” Describing the art scene in the Middle East, Shirdel told Saudi Gazette, he thinks the scene is developing fast with quality and is maturing over the years. “What is amazing is the young generation which is working with a global visual language representing local concepts and ideas. I like to see the newer experience beyond the former genres which we inherit from the past.” He is currently working on a new collection with mixed media, which uses the same character but uses a new configuration.
