Ali Zanjani
About
Ali Zanjani is a photographic artist living and working in Tehran.
Ali Zanjani studied rug design in Yazd. However, his interest in photography quickly led him to work with this medium. He has been collecting archival images and videos for over ten years, and bought his first archives in the capital's second hand markets, which offered films, documentaries, photographs as well as cinematographic, educational, journalistic and sports, archives, dating from before the Revolution. Most of the material belonged to the National Iranian Radio And Television, which later became the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. His work therefore takes as its starting point films that were once popular sources of entertainment and references of the West, then banned by the new regime because they contravened the precepts of their religion. Ali Zanjani is represented by AG Galerie, which continues to promote and appreciate pre-revolution photographies by exhibiting photography of renowned Iranian artists.
Collections
ALBERT GROOT COLLECTION, SITTART
MIRAMART COLLECTION, SANTA MARGHERITA LIGURE
SALSALI PRIVATE MUSEUM, DUBAI
Acquisition
Collection Mahssa Talaï
Acquired in 2023
Just Between Us, 57 / 60, 2012
Inkjet print on satin photo paper
60 x 80 cm
02 / 02
Series
Just Between Us (2012) is the emblematic series of Ali Zanjani composed of 60 black and white photographs taken from a wrestling instruction film found in the television archives.
Ali Zanjani selects and extracts meticulously chosen moments and obtains new images. These are the first images that the artist uses as part of an artistic work. The medium is not chosen at random. This two-hour film had been rejected by the regime because of its non-Islamic nature and non-Iranian identity. This film could have disappeared. These images change in nature and become amusing and playful. The wrestlers' poses are diverted with humor and derision. We no longer know whether the two men are fighting or playing, clashing or embracing. We move from an original context to one of amusement. Moreover, by taking them out of context, the artist in turn censors these images. He "recensures" them by stripping them of their history to make them accessible again.
Artists
Mahssa Talai advises and supports a carefully chosen selection of modern and contemporary artists through confidential and curatorial insights, and newsletters.