Le Immagini della Fantasia 42

Narges Mohammadi, born in Tehran, trained at Shahed Art University and made her illustration debut in 2006.
After participating in the 36th edition of the International Illustration Exhibition in the “Iran” section, the illustrator returns to Sarmede as a guest of honor.

The illustrations presented belong to ancient stories, such as The Thousand and One Nights, classics such as Alice in Wonderland and contemporary imagination, between West and East. “Narges Mohammadi’s work has the ability to transform diversity into harmony, as well as a tale or the textures of a myth. Through the combination of images, textures and colors, her collages invite us to reflect on the complexity of things and the beauty that can emerge from the interconnectedness of different elements,” explains curator Gabriel Pacheco.

“These multilingual images show us the wonderful binder of illustration, namely aesthetics: fragments of paper, monotypes, graffiti, pencil, all serve to build a whole: visual layers that the reader, in the privilege of reading, perceives as metaphors. These illustrations allow us to explore the playful intention of creating and reading images. In a world where divisions seem increasingly evident, this assemblage reminds us that unity can also be found in diversity.”

Five female illustrators and one male illustrator provide their personal reflections on the theme of play through storytelling and imagination.

As curator Gabriel Pacheco explains, this exhibition proposes a journey on the event of play understood as a space-time that is free and at the same time regulated, fictitious and alive. It is a place where what happens has no consequences in real life and therefore allows for an easing of everyday tension.

“Play in universal literature is a transversal theme, as in Alice and The Little Prince. Some authors have used toys as a metaphor to explore themes, e.g., The Nutcracker, The Tin Soldier, Pinocchio’s Toyland. While others have used it as a narrative tool to challenge literary conventions: think of Raymond Queneau’s ‘Exercises in Style’, Italo Calvino’s ‘If One Winter’s Night a Traveler’, and Julio Cortzár’s ‘The Game of the World’, where logic is just a game.”

Eleven illustrators participate in the exhibition by offering their “Games of Images,” brought together around two concepts: geometry understood as structure and style perceived as line.

We welcome curator Gabriel Pacheco’s reflection before beginning the journey through the images: “the artist plunges into the meanders of creation and loses himself; supported by some form of the text or memory he finds himself, then he ventures with agility through a drawing he has never seen but knows. At this moment it seems useless even to know what the form might be. But there comes a moment when each part fits together and that form that inhabits the artists’ hands begins to reveal itself.”

Instead, style generates a resonance and reveals itself in the line to follow that becomes an aesthetic experience in naïve expression and collage. “The naïve style emerges as a form of expression that enchants with its simplicity and authenticity,” the curator explains. “Characterized by dynamic lines and vibrant colors, its expressive rhythm captures the essence of everyday life with a touch of naivete and wonder.

The collage also embraces spontaneity, reflecting a world that may seem light. The structure of these two prints resonates deeply with human nature. What makes the naïve style and collage interesting is the ability to surprise and transport to simplicity.”

Three female illustrators and an illustrator propose to explore play through aesthetic experience.

Curator Gabriel Pacheco defines play as a time of lightened life, a momentary shelter from frustration and fatality, a way to overcome obstacles and achieve fulfillment.

Psychologists recognize play as playing a key role in the child’s process of self-affirmation and character formation. Experiencing competitiveness, subjecting oneself to fate, pretending and empathizing, and even experiencing exhilaration, is a very formative path. Both fantasy games and games with rules have a pedagogical nature.

“Kites, spinning tops, puzzles, crossword puzzles, merry-go-rounds, marbles, dolls, swings, along with some books, are simple machines used to lift weights with leverage and gain direct experience in a playful way.
In the end, play is a call to freedom: witty little orbs, mirages in the skies of existence. Play seems to give us, for a moment, control over something so fascinating and profound as existence. In the end, who can resist this invitation to play the game?”