TEHRAN -- A few weeks ago Fadak Cultural Center hosted artistic works of a female Iranian artist who applies color on wood in order to create works of both calligraphy and painting. Born in 1967, Shabnam Khoubi is a civil technician.
She has been engaged in this art for about three years.
"After my marriage, my husband encouraged me to work at this art alongside our own profession. We started it and didn't present even a single work during the first year and a half," said Khoubi.
Her husband, Keyvan Khoubi, also a civil technician, helps her in presenting a new art. Having put aside their own professions and being fully engaged in this art, they present their works with one signature. At first they made statues and artificial flowers by using recycled materials including syrup bottles, sauce jars, broken glass and old clothes.
Then they switched to another branch of art.They choose beautiful and effective poems of renowned Iranian poets, write them on vertical or horizontal pieces of wood, decorated with copper, using attractive calligraphy. Explaining her art, she said, "We use oil to paint parts of our art. For its calligraphy, we choose the best poems of Hafez, Sepehri, Molavi, Hamid Mosaddeq, Shamloo, Farrokhzad and verses from the Holy Qoran. We use graphical handwriting that is quite innovative and has been inspired by a child's handwriting.
We worked eight years to create such a handwriting. "The frameworks of the tableaus are mostly long and thin and ornamented with various metals," Khoubi continued. If you look at a picture, you might think it is made on tile, but by using tile works that are mostly used in traditional mosques, she has presented a new work on wood. That is, the same forms and colors have been used on wood instead of tile. On the selection of colors, Khoubi said, "We try to use bright colors. Sometimes we use colors that are in harmony with the poem.
Most of the handwriting is in black, white or yellow." She claims that both the art form and the handwriting are innovative. Mr.
and Mrs. Khoubi have held 29 exhibitions in the country, 14 of which have been solo. She ranked third in last year's nationwide art contest held on the occasion of the 100th birth anniversary of Imam Khomeini. She also won the second prize of the exhibition held last year during Women's Week. Praising people's attention and warm welcome, Mrs. Khoubi said, "Nearly 70 percent of my customers come from abroad; those who have relatives abroad buy a new kind of handicraft for their relatives.
Foreigners are also absorbed by the form of the works, but it is a pity that they cannot read the poems." On participating in any foreign exhibition, Khoubi said, "Dubai invited me to take part in an international art exhibition, but due to heavy expenses I was not able to. Unfortunately, there is no support from cultural officials. I am just a household producer. I am not able to export my work. I need the government's support.
I like to present my art to foreign countries and I am sure they will welcome it.
But the first step requires investment and support." On the impact of art in life, she said, "Art is a great help to our lives. When I begin work I feel my soul separates from by body; it flies. I achieve peace and calm. My art is mingled with love.
This art needs a lot of time but not a lot of money." Speaking on the role of women in social and artistic activities, Khoubi said, "Women's activity in various branches of art is outstanding.
Perhaps one important reason for that is meeting the financial needs of their families.
Filling leisure time could be another reason. Above all, they have understood their importance and their value in the society and among their families." She criticized those who imitate other art works, saying, "Creativity and art are in the nature of all human beings. They should try to find and discover them within themselves. Imitated works are not genuine; such a work cannot be considered a work of art." "Both social activity and taking responsibility for the family are necessary. Of course, one should never ignore the effect of encouragement in any job," she said.
Khoubi said that through creativity, a true artist should give new form to traditional art. "In this way traditional art is not forgotten, and the presented work is modern and new," she concluded.