LOS ANGELES: The Middle Eastern epic “One Thousand and One Nights” has been reinterpreted as hand-drawn works of art in Mobina Nouri’s exhibit “A Thousand Tales.”
Linda Roshi Rahnaama, founder and director of ADVOCARTSY, said of the project: “We have taken on the role of retelling the story in a contemporary manner.”
She continued: “The storyline is nonlinear, timeless, and beyond space and time, so we’re creating an opportunity for each viewer to stand in front of each line, look for details that are never ending and then each viewer becomes the storyteller.”
The series of paintings depict moments from Scheherazade stories as all happening at the same time and inject elements from geography, scripture and contemporary culture to refocus the stories on the historical and modern experiences of women.
“Women depicted in the characters are blindfolded with a gold eye band referencing the challenges women have endured over time and despite that, as Scheherazade did, through their wisdom persevering,” Rahnaama said.
“One Thousand and One Nights” is one of the Middle East's most prolific works with cultural importance throughout the MENA Region and international recognition via translation and film adaptations such as “Sinbad” and Disney’s “Aladdin.”
“It has kind of been instilled in the psyche of not only Middle Eastern communities but beyond,” she said.
“What Mobina is trying to do here is tap into that recollection and extend it to the experience of women and depict a new dialogue that’s relevant to the contemporary world and the world of contemporary art.”
