We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art stands and recognise the creative contribution First Australians make to the art and culture of this country.
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Shirana Shahbazi uses iconographic and compositional elements of seventeenth-century European still-life painting, where the fleeting beauty of a blooming flower acts as a reminder that life is short. Yet, her glorious fruits, flowers and birds also reference tazhib a tashiri, miniatures from the Persian Kajar dynasty (1794–1925) containing Chinese influences.
While recalling painterly traditions from both regions, these photographs also refer to the stock pictures of advertising brochures.
Shirana Shahbazi emigrated from Iran to Germany as an 11-year-old, and now lives in Zurich, Switzerland. In her photographic reinterpretations of the still-life tradition, Shahbazi traverses geography, history and media to explore questions of cultural translation.
1. Compare this work to examples of seventeenth-century European still-life painting that feature birds. What elements had Shahbazi borrowed from this style of art?
2. How has contemporary visual culture and technology impacted on Shahbazi’s practice?
Explore the multidimensionality of imagery through collage. Cut out imagery from magazines about wildlife, interior design and cuisine. Paste imagery on top of fields of colour. Experiment with combinations to re-contextualise the symbolic nature of the images you collect.
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art stands and recognise the creative contribution First Australians make to the art and culture of this country.