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Hamid Sadighi Neiriz (Tehran, 14 november 1947) is an iranian artist, art dealer, gallerist and Kilims collector. He chose the name Neiriz as artist name after the origin of his family in the Neiriz region of Iran.

Biography

Hamid Sadighi Neiriz spent his childhood and youth in Tehran. Neiriz’ ancestors had been nomads, his father Abdulkarim Sadighi belonged to a new generation of the early 20th Century in Iran which had broken with traditional Iranian ideals and leaned towards mod­­ernist movements, Neiriz’ mother Mahtalat Shahriar Shaghaghi learned tailoring and had her own tailoring workshop in Tehran. Grown up in the big city, Neiriz came into contact not only with modern urbanity. The archaeological and historical traditions of the country left a deep impression on him. His childhood was filled by Persian myths, read to him by his mother from the “Shahname”, the “Book of Kings” by the poet Firdausī(940–1020).

At the age of 17 Neiriz embarked on a journey to Europe, aiming for West Berlin, not only to avoid the compulsory Iranian military service, but to take up art studies. He is interested in European culture, especially German, French and Russian literature, and poetry. In the 1960s student protest movements marked West Berlin, and with its special political state the city developed a strong youth movement – an Eldorado of alternative lifestyles. A strik­ing and momentous event was the visit of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Persia on the 2nd of June 1967, which was accompanied by protest demonstrations against the autocratic ruler. The shooting of the student Benno Ohnesorg by a policeman lead to the radicalization of the extra-parliamentary opposition – events that did not leave Neiriz unaffected. Neiriz began to study in 1966, initially Architecture at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK), but after a few semesters he switched to Art Photography, which he was practising continuously in the 70s. From 1972 onward he started studies of Art History and Archaeology at the Technical University (TU), Art History and Ethnology at the Free University (FU) – in connection with excursions and archaeological excavations. Neiriz attended several excavations in the surroundings of the Alban Hills located southeast of Rome and in Paris in summer 1973. In the following course of his studies and in close contact to the Museum of Islamic Art, Neiriz’ later orientation towards Islamic Studies was amplified: “After I had experienced a kind of cultural epiphany, I went [1975] to Iran to study archaeology, and to dedicate myself to Persian literature and philosophy.”2

From summer 1976 to winter 1977 Neiriz attended the lectures of Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr on philosophy of Suhrawardi­ at the University of Tehran, and of Professor Abdolhossein ­Zarrinkoub on the Masnavi of Rumi. During that period his main studies were Archaeology with Professor Ezzatollah Negahban, followed by various excavation expeditions in 1977 under Negahban’s direction in the east of Sefid Rud.

After a year, Neiriz returned to Berlin, but soon went back to Esfahan, to do research for his doctoral thesis at the Madrasah Chahar Bagh under the supervision of Professor Honarfar During a break in one of the traditional tea rooms he discovered by accident or fortune an antique nomadic kilim, which brought up associations with compositions of classical modern paintings, and he set out to search for similar pieces: “This discovery was incredibly exciting for me, and when I look back, it has changed my life.”3 The excitement was rooted in the understanding of the artistic value of nomadic weaving, which so far had hardly been perceived. Neiriz started a collection, explored origins, travelled to the nomads and their khans.

Neiriz Kilim Collection

Consequently, kilims became the main emphasis of Berlin based “Gallery Neiriz”, which was established together with Karin Pregley Hawkes und Robin Hawkes in Berlin on April 1st 1980, with Neiriz’ discoveries from his travels. Soon it advanced to one of the leading galleries or “Non-European Art”. Although ancient nomadic weaving of the Near East remained the focus, over time African and Oceanic Tribal Art, Islamic and Buddhist Art, archaeological objects from China, Persia and ancient America, Japanese woodblock prints and Chinese furniture were added. Neiriz, in accompanying nomadic tribes on their migration from winter to summer quarters, experi­enced their understanding of nature and the cosmos.”4 In the 1998/99 the kilim Neiriz Collection is in the exhibition “Das Bauhaus webt” (“Bauhaus Weaves”). Here, for the first time nomadic weaves were seen in direct comparison with Bauhaus products. An important inspirer of Bauhaus weaving, Paul Klee (1879–1940), must be mentioned. Klee was interested in nomadic art and whose “feeling was subject to similar primal fears. His reference to exotic art might well be explained as magical intention”, Neiriz wrote in the catalogue.5

Works

For over thirty years, Gallery Neiriz provided the economic and ideal foundation in the life of Hamid Sadighi Neiriz. His activities as an art dealer formed a close liaison with the collector who has surrounded his domestic ambience also with Modern European Art. Both these callings were completed by documentary filming and scientific publications on nomadic weavings (with Karin Hawkes),6 partly in connection with donations to museums and exhibitions, e.g. “Nomadenlager – Webarbeiten der Nomaden Persiens aus der Sammlung Neiriz Ethnographical Museum Berlin“ (Nomadic Camp – Weaves of Nomads in Persia The Neiriz Collection at the Ethnological Museum Berlin)7, 2001/02. A close relation to Contemporary Art was reflected in exhibitions held at his gallery in the 80s with artists such as Harald Metzkes8, Stefan Plenkers9 and Michaela Holzheimer, but also in direct context to weaving with the exhibition “Webkunst der DDR” (Weaving of the GDR).10 ­­The big exhibition “100 Kelims. Die Sammlung Neiriz im Volkspark Halle“ (100 Kilims. The Neiriz Collection at Volkspark Halle)11, held at the Great Hall of Volkspark in Halle in 2014, was also taken as an inspiration for art students from Burg Giebichenstein University of Art Halle, where a long-time friend of Neiriz, Professor Ulrich Reimkasten, was the head of the textile art department.

The beginning of Neiriz’ work as a painter fell into the early days of the gallery, but without public attention, it took place in secret. When painting, Neiriz follows an existential need for expression, which does not go beyond the private sphere, and is located beyond the art market. Neiriz’ various facets in dealing with art, especially as a dealer and collector – one can call him a connoisseur – finds its precipitation in his own artistic work. The first major exhibition of his paintings took place 2001–02 at the Spandau Citadel. This great exhibition at the citadel exhibition did not only show paintings (1980–99) and photo­graphs (1972–74) of the artist Neiriz, but also works of African Tribal Art; parallel to the exhibition of his collection of antique textiles “Nomadenlager” (Nomadic Camp) at the Ethnological Museum in Berlin12, which he took as occasion to donate 160 of the antique pieces exposed there to the museum. In 2014 he presented his works together with a chamber music performance at the Galerie Forum Berlin am Meer. The exhibition closing on 27th of June 2014 marked the farewell of Gallery Neiriz after 34 years. In March 2017 he had a solo exhibition titled “Masks“ at Galerie Madesta in Regensburg.

Artistic philosophy The life of an artist influences his work which lends expression to the lived experiences. As painter Hamid Sadighi Neiriz becomes impressively apparent through his work, which has emerged over several decades. These different facets of his life have developed between different continents, cultures, and professions, partly parallel to one another, partly following one another, but always with the same intensity, energy, passion, perhaps also restlessness, directed towards the whole and supported by firm convictions. What is certain is that the arts are at the centre of his activities, while literature, music, archaeology, the history of the arts, and the history of mankind, as well as the collection of works of art, are the aesthetic-scientific base. The beginning of Neiriz’ work as a painter falls into the years of his studies, and has since been a constancy in his life. When painting, Neiriz follows an existential need for expression, which does not necessarily seek the public, but rather develops in silence.