SOLO EXHIBITION AT THE THIRD LINE (SEP 24 - NOV 3, 2018) The Breeze at Dawn Has Secrets to Tell You

Monir Farmanfarmaian with disco balls at the salon of her home, Tehran, 1977

Excerpted from a poem by 13th century Sufi poet Rumi, 'The Breeze at Dawn Has Secrets to Tell You' stands as a reminder that the changes we strive for lie within our hands, as thresholds that demand to be crossed, opportunities to be seized. Reminiscent of such gates, Monir’s mirror mosaic representations of geometrical figures are framed by curtains of reverse-painted plexiglass strands that one imagines could oscillate in the wind. Suspended from the frame of several works are pendants that mirror the geometrical shapes of the works from which they hang.

Drawn from Monir’s childhood memories of her nanny wearing a microscopic Qur'an page medallion pinned to her sleeve, these adornments remind us of the sacred geometry principles that have been at the core of the artist’s practice for the past five decades. Each of the shapes possesses mathematical attributes and consequently, its own meaning. Thus, the triangle becomes a symbol of harmony representing the soul and the three forms of action: mental, physical and verbal, while the square is synonymous with stability, the four cardinal points and the four seasons.

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Kinetic Diamond, 2018, Mirror and reverse plexiglass painting, reverse glass painting on plaster and wood, 125 x 165 cm / Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Kinetic Red, 2018, Reverse plexiglass painting and mirror on plaster and wood, 160 x 50 cm / Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Kinetic Red, 2018, Reverse plexiglass painting and mirror on plaster and wood, 160 x 50 cm, detail / Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line

To take a closer look at the reflective surfaces that host the various geometrical shapes is to realize that the mirror has been shattered in what seems like the ultimate gesture materializing both Monir’s avant-garde practice and her forever young and playful spirit. The fragmented planes also hint at the historical origins of the mirror mosaics used in Iranian architecture: in the 18th century, mirrors imported from Europe that arrived broken were salvaged by local craftsmen, who reassembled cracked elements into patterns imitating traditional Iranian tiles.

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Kinetic Star in Pentagon, 2018, Reverse glass painting and mirror, reverse plexiglass painting on plaster and wood, 140 x 120 cm / Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Kinetic Star in Pentagon, 2018, Reverse glass painting and mirror, reverse plexiglass painting on plaster and wood, 140 x 120 cm / Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Kinetic Star in Pentagon, 2018, Reverse glass painting and mirror, reverse plexiglass painting on plaster and wood, 140 x 120 cm, detail / Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line

Also on display are 2018 iterations of Monir’s famed 1970s Mirror Ball works—spherical sculptures comprising myriads of hand-cut mirror elements inspired by the sight of children playing football in the streets of Tehran.

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Final Disco 4, 2018, Reverse glass painting and mirror on ball, 24 cm diameter / Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line

In conjunction with the exhibition, The Third Line will screen Monir, a documentary that explores the artist’s life and practice and uncovers how she came to be one of the most influential and innovative practitioners in the Middle East. Monir is directed by Bahman Kiarostami and produced by Leyla Fakhr.

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Triangle Rainbow, 2018, Reverse plexiglass painting and mirror, reverse glass painting on plaster and wood, 100 x 80 cm / Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Triangle Rainbow, 2018, Reverse plexiglass painting and mirror, reverse glass painting on plaster and wood, 100 x 80 cm, detail / Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Triangle Rainbow, 2018, Reverse plexiglass painting and mirror, reverse glass painting on plaster and wood, 100 x 80 cm, detail / Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian

Born in Qazvin, Iran in 1924, Monir’s distinguished career has spanned more than five decades. Incorporating traditional reverse glass painting, mirror mosaics and principles of Islamic geometry with a modern sensibility, her sculptures and installations defy easy categorization. Monir attended the Fine Arts College of Tehran before becoming one of the first Iranian students to study in the United States after World War II. She graduated from Parsons School of Design in 1949 and then became a Member of the New York Art Students' League (1950-53). Engulfed in the epicenter of the modern art world, it was here that she worked alongside many iconic contemporary American artists including Jackson Pollock, Frank Stella, Louise Nevelson and Andy Warhol, all who had an influence on her work.

In August 2018, a major solo exhibition featuring over 70 works opened at the Irish Museum of Modern Art and will travel to the Sharjah Art Foundation in 2019. Monir’s work is housed in several major public collections including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; The Metropolitan Museum, New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Jameel Collection, London; Tate Modern, London; The Queensland Art Gallery, Australia; The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Iran; Swisscorp Bank, Switzerland; The Sharjah Art Foundation, United Arab Emirates; and the School of Law at Columbia University, United States.

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Kinetic Violet, 2018, Reverse plexiglass painting and mirror and steel on wood, 115 x 35 cm/ Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Kinetic Violet, 2018, Reverse plexiglass painting and mirror and steel on wood, 115 x 35 cm, detail / Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line

The exhibition The Breeze at Dawn Has Secrets to Tell You is on view from September 24 until November 3, 2018 at The Third Line in Dubai.