Exhibitions + Performances

Exhibitions… and actuations, actions, readations… I mean… Intervention? But everything could fall under the slightly psychobablish term… Actions? Could be, but, a lot of exhibitions are actually devoid of action. You set up, you leave, come back at the end, maybe… (yeah, but it would be the ‘action’ as the presentation of the exhibition…) Exhibitions is actually not so bad, inasmuch as a reading, or, my favorite term, a readation (a performative type of reading), a performance, is also a type of exhibition, maybe the most literal, in fact, of exhibitions: of yourself! Exhibitions then, of things, stuff, ideas, words, images, experiences, yourself…

 

What’s for sure, is that stuff has happened in spaces usually reserved for ‘artworks’ as well in other public and private sites, under the auspices of a government agency or a cultural institution, within a festival or just by its solitary self. With others, by one self, most of the time with engagements that very deliberately blurred the lines between expected showings and happenings. Plus, admittedly, I am very fond of new forms, new types of creations that are actually nameless (or, if baptized with a new name, the name cannot resonate – to wit, ‘bassadiga’), and that, by definition, invite new experiences. Some of the exhibitions have multiple components, drawing from multiple locales and traditions. Some are straight up: a photo on a wall, books on a table… Most of the time though, there is searching and finding, and the attempt at creating new species of works to exhibit, new species of exhibitions, new species of experiences. What I do then: stuff that doesn’t yet have a name, until I give it one… Innovation – stylistic, formal, discoursal… Always with the consciousness of the components of the experience, the expectations of what an experience is, and challenging those even, the forms and functions of these spaces, these festivals, these organs, these entities… Never just showing to show, but to interrogate, challenge, undermine, deconstruct, and reinvigorate, replace, energize, the very dynamics associated with the usual exhibitory practice, associated with the spaces in which they occur, with the rituals they invite, with the experiences they curate and generate. Good times, one hopes.

 

 

  • How he tells (The Portable Open Epic, kantô X.6) Litstill and Closing Readation, in “Immigrant, The Exhibition”, NoMAA Art Gallery, New York, September 28-November 19, 2010
  • Nothing/Doing, “Uncomun Festival 2010”, Santos House, New York, November 6, 2010
  • Readings from Fragment du cirque élastique de la revolution, in Festival international de poésie, Poètes à Paris, Paris, October 1, 2010
  • The Generals on the Roof (The Portable Open Epic, kantô X.2), scriptage and performative reading and writing actions; took place at ten different ‘textspots’ in streets of Dumbo, Dumbo Arts Festival, New York, September 25, 2010
  • The American in Paris is an Iranian in New York (Still), Scriptage and a.p.e.l.s, a seven hour performative reading and writing action through the streets of Paris and in/around significant monuments (Mouffetard neighborhood, Arènes de lutèce, bouquinistes, Notre Dame, Métro) ending at the art space CentQuatre, within “Paris en toutes lettres festival” and with simultaneous occurrences at the NoMAA Art Gallery within the “Artstroll festival” in Northern Manhattan, June 12, 2010
  • Readation from Fragment du cirque élastique de la revolution in “Liberty/Liberté”, in conjunction with Michelle Siboun’s show, Gallery at Editions Caractères, June 10, 2010
  • Fotonameh: Lisbon Wall in  “What is left when all is gone”, Manhattan Times Art Gallery, New York
  • Readation, pieces from Last Anthology of Iranian Writers at the Edge of Madness and Enlightenment in “Persian Arts Festival”, The Bowery Poetry Club, May 19, 2010
  • Cinco Fragmentado (Kantô IV, Open Epic, in the tradition of the Elastic Circus of the Revolution), bassadiga in “Baroquissimo Festival”, Biblioteca Palafoxiana, Puebla, Mexico, April 2010
  • Begoo Version Six, in Norooz celebration reading with various writers, The Bowery Poetry Club, March 2010
  • Allá, in Artists Unite “Projection Show” series, Outdoor Projection unto the Coliseum Theatre, December 28, 2009
  • Komak/Ayuda!, in Artists Unite “Projection Show” series, Outdoor Projection unto the Coliseum Theatre, December 29, 2009
  • Begoo Version Five, in “Poetiks and Politiks”, Bowery Poetry Club, Dec 2009
  • Begoo Version Four, in “Union Square Art Awards”, keynote reading The Riverside Church, fall 2009
  • Begoo Version Three, in “NoMAA Art Institute”, keynote reading, Place ? fall 2009
  • Begoo Version Two, in “Framing Aids”, fall 2009
  • Begoo Version One in “New York Book Expo”, keynote reading, Queens Museum of Art, October –, 2009
  • I & Translation, “Poets in the Galleries III”, Queens Museum of Art, September 6, 2009
  • Dusk’s Ether with Ashes, Open Epic as rendered by ElCiRo, Kantô XIV, “Engendered Festival”, Halvai Gallery Soho, July 2009
  • Photowhat , in “Creative Ventures”, outdoor photo projection of Artists Unite, New York, July 2009
  • Fotonameh, Burnt Car Triptych in “That”, NoMAA Art Gallery, New York, November 2008
  • in.the.middle.of., readation in “Madhatters’ Frenzy Sept 11 retrospective”,Haven Arts Gallery, New York, September 14, 2008
  • Fragments from Kantô XX, in “Uncomun Festival”, Public Assembly, New York, September 2008
  • Alefa Desenata, cultural design project, hosted online by Artists Unite, 2008-09
  • Anagraphiká, finage, Nelson Hancock Gallery, New York, spring/summer, 2008
  • Efemerata, finage, Nelson Hancock Gallery, New York, spring/summer 2008
  • Solos (Solo) Photography, Performance, Bookstills, Fragmen, Ifs&Co. and fragments from Open Epic, Nelson Hancock Gallery, New York, summer 2008
  • Fotonameh, Burnt Car Triptych in “Now: Here: This” Best of the Years,NoMAA Art Gallery, New York, June 2008
  • Readings from various works in conjunction with the opening of the exhibit “Erasing Borders”, The Guild Gallery, New York, April 2008
  • Fotonameh, Burnt Car Trilogy in “Now: Here: This”, online, Artist Unite, April 2008
  • Bookstills, in “On the Page, On the Wall: 4 Photo Books on Display”, Nelson Hancock Gallery, New York, Dec. 13-Feb 16, 2007-2008
  • Readings from Erre and …and they were writing their history, Galerie des Editions Caractères, Paris, December 2007/January 2008
  • Tombeau de Alfred Jarry, in “Patafysika”, Sensei Gallery, Lower East side, New York, November 2007
  • Kalam, readation in “Writing From and Away From Migration” Sunday Best Reading Series at Hudson View Gardens, November 2007
  • Readings from Drive-by Cannibalism in the Baroque Tradition conjunction with Will — opening, Theatre for the New City, New York, November 2007
  • Readings from Erre, in “Day of Patrimoine”, streets of Mouffetard neighborhood, Paris,
  • All kalam, readation from various works, in “Poets in the Galleries I”,Queens Museum of Art, New York, July 7, 2007
  • Fotonameh, in “What we See”, Manhattan Times Gallery, New York, June 7-July 11, 2007
  • Fotonameh in “Visions of Northern Manhattan”, Alianza Dominicana Gallery, New York, June 3-June 30, 2007
  • With Hedayat in “Rooftop Roars and Riverside Revolutions”, writers reading from their own works and the works of banished writers, Rio Gallery, New York, June 2007
  • The American in Paris is an Iranian in New York, Bassadiga in conjunction with Persian new year, Janos Gat Gallery, New York, March 20th 2007
  • Readings from Drive-by Cannibalism in the Baroque Tradition, The Perch, New York, February 2007
  • Readings from Drive-by Cannibalism in the Baroque Tradition Vox Pop, New York, February 2007
  • Book Launch, Reading and Discussion, Drive-by Cannibalism in the Baroque Tradition Lower East Side Print Shop, New York, January 2007
  • Books in “Les Déambulécritures – Poésie française d’aujourd’hui”, group book show at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France organized by the Marché de la poésie, Paris, Winter, 2007
  • Reading of fragments from …and they were writing their history, as part of the events surrounding the 10th year anniversary of the death of the poet Bruno Durocher Bibliothèque Nationale de France and Librairie La Lucarne des écrivains, Paris, Nov 30 and Dec 6, 2007
  • Literature et polyglottisme readings/debate with Amir Parsa on his collected works with art critic, writer and journalist Marc-Albert Levin in “Francofffonies! Salon du livre 2006”, Salle Samuel Beckett: Salon du Livre, Paris, March 2006
  • TextAgain, for Jordan Crandall and “Underfire 3”, Seville Biannual, Sevilla, Spain, 2006
  • If One Day in Your Neighborhood I, (Solo) Photography Exhibit, The Gallery at Caractères, Paris, 2006
  • Sentence, for Maria Yoon’s Allergies exhibit, Seoul, South Korea, 2006
  • 1 + 2 photographs in “Staff Art Exhibit”, MoMA and PS1, New York, 2006
  • Readings and presentations from Underfire at Printed Matter in New York, 2005
  • Readings and presentations by Jil Caplan, Danièle Evenou, Michel de Maulne and other French actors at the Sorbonne in conjunction with inclusion in the anthology Les Nouveaux poètes français et francophones, with fragment of Feu l’encre – Fable selected (Ed. Huguet, 2004), Paris, January 2004
  • Texts: Scrollines, in “Underfire 1 & 2” Witte de With Museum, Rotterdam, 2004
  • Readings from various works, in conjunction with “marché de la poésie”Conciergerie, Paris, 2001,
  • Group book exhibit with other authors of Editions Caractères, the Cultural Center of Caracas, Venezuela, spring 2001
  • Group book exhibit with other authors of Editions Caractères, and other publishers, Printemps des Poètes, Paris, spring 2001
  • Group book exhibit with other authors of Editions Caractères, and other publishers, Bruxelles, Belgium, spring 2001
  • Group book exhibit with other authors of Editions Caractères and other publishers, Slovak embassy, Paris, 2001
  • Group book exhibit with other authors of Editions Caractères on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, and other publishers, Libraries des Presses Universitaires de France, Paris, spring 2000
  • Group book exhibit with other authors of Editions Caractères on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, and other publishers, Forum des éditeurs du Printemps des poètes, Paris, spring 2000
  • Group book exhibit with other authors of Editions Caractères on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, Halle de la Bibliothèque de la Sorbonne, Paris, spring 2000
  • Readings and discussion of various books, Salon du livre 2000; featured at Editions Caractères’ 50th anniversary, Paris, spring 2000
  • Reading of Feu l’encre – Fable at the Printemps des poètes venue within the Salon du livre 2000 by the actor Henri Gruvman, spring 2000
  • Fotonameh, the First, in “Princeton University Final Exhibition: Student Photography Show”, Princeton University, Princeton, 1990