Do the shoes take us or us the shoes?
It is a title that came to my mind after watching the exhibition of Shima Etminan in Jam Gallery in Shiraz.
It is certain that each of them plays their role. And without each other, they become disabled.
Ever since man realized that he needs facilities that protect him and safety to protect himself, he became more concerned. By passing through different eras of mankind, from the primitive and cave-dwelling type to the new era, i.e. the eras when man made himself the center of the world, and according to this intellectual structure, diversification also increased and a product was no longer just an aspect of fulfilling a vital need. And it turned into the colonization of humans towards humans and to products and societies where consumerism became a value under the shelter of capitalism. And this look in the world of art was more visible in artistic movements such as Art Nouveau and Pop Art.
Production date and expiration date penetrated in all dimensions.
Mamat's life also seems to have become history.
In the works of this exhibition, there are frames selected from moments that challenge life and the narrative is created in the composition itself.
Poem phrase: "Where are my shoes?"
It is always repeated in the viewer's mind.
All of us have taken and left not only shoes but ourselves or a part of ourselves somewhere.
In fact, shoes are an excuse to excuse our memories and stories.
Although luxurious, simple and in different forms.
If a vertical line is drawn from the head to the heart and then to the feet, it will be moved by a container called a shoe.
A birth certificate that asks for a land.
From this point of view, the exhibition of Shima Azor was impressive.
A combination of the past, present and maybe the future. The materials used generally come from everyday use, such as: pills from the past, bird feathers and coffee beans, buttons, clothespins or...
which puts aside national cultures and tastes by living side by side.
Nostalgia and poetry carry more weight and the graphics used in presenting the works are admirable.
I leave the exhibition
I look at my shoes, I smile and we go back to the shoe store together.
(Footprint exhibition was held in Bahman 2021 at Jam Gallery, Shiraz)
Aisa Hekmat
