GHAZEL
Born 1966 in Tehran, Iran. Lives and works mostly in Paris, France
 
© Ghazel and ADAGP
Ghazel, “Better Not See,” 2000. Still from “Me 2000-2003,” 2000-03. © Ghazel and ADAGP
 
Ghazel graduated in Visual Arts from L'Ecole des Beaux Arts de Nîmes, France, in 1992 and in Film Studies from the Université Paul Valéry in Montpellier, France, in 1994. In her ongoing “Me”-series, Ghazel re-enacts moments from her nomadic life and her observations. Her films are what she calls her parallel life. Each scene is accompanied by a caption in French or English, neither of which are her mother tongues. Full of irony and surreal humor, Ghazel's performances highlight her position as an outsider both in the West and in Iran. She has exhibited extensively internationally, including the 50th Venice Biennale (in Clandestines, curated by Francesco Bonami, Italy, 2003) and the 8th Havana Biennial (Cuba, 2003). Recent solo shows include: Me (Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow, Scotland, 2004); Me (The Space@inIVA, London, United Kingdom, 2003); Wanted (Salon Meshec Gaba, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France, 2002); Me 1997-2000 (Miroslav-Kraljevic Gallery, Zagreb, Croatia, 2001); and Sans Titre (TRAC in FRAC, Montpellier, France, 1999). Selected group exhibitions include: Social Creatures (Sprengel Museum, Hannover, Germany 2004); ID Troubles (Halle für Kunst, Lüneburg, Germany, 2004); Voyages d'Artistes: Algérie 03 (Espace Electra, Paris, France, 2003); Sound of Video (LAB, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2003); DOM/HOME (Sarajevo Center For Contemporary Arts, Sarajevo, Bosnia, 2002); Iranian Contemporary Art (The Barbican Centre, London, United Kingdom, 2001); Regards Persans (Espace Electra, Paris, France, 2001); and Chronicle of Void and Beyond (Golestan Gallery, Tehran, Iran, 1999, a joint project with Kaveh Golestan). She has worked in the collection of the Musée national d'art moderne in Centre Pompidou, Paris, and FRAC Languedoc-Roussillon in Montpellier.
 
Contribution: Participates in Station 1: The Equestrian Hall, Aarhus, with “Me 2000-2003,” 2000-03. Triptych video installation, 6 x 5 x 3 m. Courtesy of the artist and ADAGP.