Year
1995
Degree Name
Doctor of Creative Arts
Department
Faculty of Creative Arts
Recommended Citation
Dekamvand, Mohammad Kazem, The search for identity: aspects of spirituality in the late Twentieth Century expressed in contemporary Iranian painting, Doctor of Creative Arts thesis, Faculty of Creative Arts, University of Wollongong, 1995. https://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/938
Abstract
This research centres on an artist's interpretation of the search for identity in the late twentieth century—particularly as expressed by the Post-Revolutionary Art of Iran. An autobiographical approach has been used to show how this Iranian artist's identity has been built from the relationship between personal, religious and social matters, tradition and modernity, and the East and the West. The outcomes of this research have been demonstrated through two major exhibitions of artworks, in 'The Long Gallery', University of Wollongong under the following titles, Forgotten Identity, 1993 and The Search for Identity, 1995.
The artworks and the dissertation accompanying the exhibited work are concerned with the need for people in this late twentieth century to re-examine their lives and to open themselves towards spiritual values. The works are based in the ideology and the spiritual foundation of the Islamic Revolution.
The author's own art development is part of this period. The written documentation uses this personal history as a starting point for discussion of an artistic investigation into the culture and ethos of Post-Revolutionary Iran. Through a discussion of the works of other artists, who in the author's opinion have contributed to the history of Iranian Art, both in the traditional and contemporary movements and through an analysis of his own art works, the document gives insight into this search for personal and national artistic identity.
Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Wollongong.