Majid Fathizadeh
Soiree de gala
We are delighted to announce the acquisition of Soiree de gala-a series of 18 works by Majid Fathizadeh-by the British Museum. To explain the works, Fathizadeh says:
“Different families, societies and countries have different cultures and rituals. They also have different idiocies and follies. My social and political self has come along in a place where a pre-set code of conducts–from personal behaviours to social interactions and even socio-political expressions– has existed and operated since the dawn of civilisation. This culture and its current power-hungery parasites have a distinct demand: ‘Be a tamed lamb within this materialistic and worthless world and leave your everything to us, the men of God, to harvest your wishes in the life after.’
The order of these etchings is nicely laid by Jean Claude Carriere. It starts in a satirical way but ends with a tragedy. The story started without a script. But the script came along in such a genius way without which the series remains disconnected.
This series includes etchings titled ‘Dying’. These etchings illustrate some lying women awaiting death. They are not dead. Their accompanying bodies, like themselves, are muted and dazed while enduring a looming death. They are even laying on or squatting by the graves.
In a different set of etchings, a group of power-hungery people are depicted. They have given up their everything to gain any tiny bit of power. Albeit, the power is from a source that is only credible to their eyes.
We should place the naked men who are listening to the sermon against the image of the toilet paper. The ‘Dying’ series belong to the end.”
