The Third Line at Artissima 2011

‘Slavs and Tatars’, Friendship of Nations – Gashtam Nabood Nagard, 2011, Textile on Fabric, 200x120 cm. Photo: Courtesy of The Third Line and The Artist

Established in 2003, Artissima takes place annually every November presenting a list of exclusive international galleries in Torino, Italy showcasing emerging contemporary art. With installations and pajaks, traditional Polish wall hangings, Slavs and Tatars present a contemporary twist on art from the areas of Poland and Iran. These works, part of an ongoing, multi platform research project that was first exhibited at the 10th Sharjah Biennale in the United Arab Emirates (March – May, 2011), address the unlikely heritage between these two countries.

Friendship of Nations looks to the revolutionary potential of crafts and folklore behind the ideological impulses of key modern moments in history: the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and Poland’s Solidarnosc in the 1980s. These two major geopolitical narratives of the recent past are brought together to depict a visual story timeline through the simplicity of reeds, coloured material, and agricultural necessity.

Wheat Molla, 2011, wheat, fabric, brick, sizes variable. Photo: Courtesy of The Third Line and The Artist

‘Slavs and Tatars’, Pajak, Study No4, 2010, reed, thread, ribbon and beads, 80x40x30cm. Photo: Courtesy of The Third Line and The Artist

‘Slavs and Tatars’ Pajak, Study No2, 2010, reed, thread, ribbon and beads, 80x40x30cm. Photo: Courtesy of The Third Line and The Artist