Chronicling a year spent in the studio of Monir Farmanfarmaian in Tehran, Iran.
Monir, in her studio, the second time we met.
I decided to move to Tehran to work as Monir's assistant, studio manager, companion. Throughout the months I got to know and understand the way she works at the studio as well as observing her behavioral processes at home. Most of the focus was to pick and tend to works traveling for her solo exhibition opening later in the year. The exhibition "Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian: Infinite Possibility. Mirror Works and Drawings 1974-2014” curated by Suzanne Cotter opened on 9th October at the Serralves Foundation, Porto.
There were good days, bad days and very bad days. Overall, I did learn a lot from M's amazing personality. Anecdotes from her student days in New York in the 1950's, a stimulating place for anyone, especially someone coming from Iran, work alongside Andy Warhol at Bonwit Teller's art department. She befriended artists like Calder, De Kooning.
A lot of her work has yet to be shown, what she produced after the revolution, living in New York. Deprived of her craftsmen she experimented with collages, Drawings, paintings, etchings. She was creative but also did commercial work like flowery designs for cushions.
On a daily basis, I saw her creativity at work: on the car ride taking us to the studio passing by a house's iron gate or in the design of a box of biscuits, she would see geometric shapes to incorporate in her mirror work or the pattern of my knit jumper. Geometry but also numerous drawings.
Bahman Kiarostami filmed Monir and the studio.
