Lot 522: f - Sadegh Tirafkan , Iranian B. 1965 (i) #4 (from the Body Signs series) (ii) Untitled (from the Body Curves series) (iii) Untitled (from the Body Curves series) (i) warm toned silver print (ii) warm toned silver print with handstamped working in

(i) warm toned silver print (ii) warm toned silver print with handstamped working in black ink on the surface (iii) silverprint with handstamped workingsin black in on the surface

measurements note (i): 91 by 79cm.; 35 7/8 by 31 1/8 in. (ii), (iii): 71.2 by 101.1cm.; 28 by 39 7/8 in.

Paris, Gallery Vu, Sadegh Tirafkan , 2003
New York, Lehmann Maupin Gallery, Sadegh Tirafkan , 2004

Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York
Private Collection, New York

(i), (ii), (iii) Executed in 2002, (i) is number 1 from an edition of 6; (ii), (iii) each work is unique from a series of 60 unique works.
Drawing on the rich artistic legacy of Persian culture, Sadegh Tirafkan employs a language of symbolism and imagery that instils his photography, video and installation with layers of hidden meaning. Tirafkan's work often deals with issues of male identity. In these series Body Curves and Body Signs, Tirafkan uses the nude male as a vessel or canvas, reducing the masculinity of his sitter to something subjective. By taking the body and stripping it of clothes and protection, what lies before us is the fragile and true spirit of a man without his bravado, machismo and testosterone. In his other series from Iranian Man it is the addition of traditional Iranian clothing, the longue or robe, weaponry and other tools of manhood that establish the figures as 'men'. By doing so Tirafkan questions the very essence of masculinity: is it nothing more than an assumed pose in a society where concepts of manhood are deeply entrenched? It is not just masculinity that concerns Tirafkan, but also the concept of brotherhood, and the unique relationships forged within male collectives. For instance the esoteric fraternity of wrestlers in the zoorkhaneh, the traditional Iranian gymnasium, or the male public during the frantic religious festival of Ashura, where a shared experience in the streets of Iran links numerous strangers together. Tirafkan often employs cultural rituals in his work; he is keenly aware of history and draws on the past as inspiration. In these photographs Tirafkan utilises the symbols of a more recent generation, the sun and lion of the Qajar royal family, a still powerful symbol to the Iranian diaspora. He has used this image of supremacy and power to obscure and worry the naked figure, alluding to the influence of culture on the indivdual and the psychological branding of experience and nurture.