Usefriti - Unit 8, a Group Exhibition

19 - 31 January 2024

Artists: Anita Hashemi Moghaddam, Afsaneh SalimBayati, Elmira Abolhassani, Iman Rad, Samira Pahlavani, Setareh Hosseini, Sara Sasani, Sara Keshmiri, Ghazal Zare, Farideh Ebadi, Maryam Ardalan, Mitra Ardalan

Statement

"Osferit" in Arabic is ,سوفرة and its origin may be traced back to Middle Persian "usufrit," meaning "offering" or "oblation," derived from Avestan "usəfriti." It refers to clothes on which food is placed during meals.

Nutrition and its margins are among the fringe issues of contemporary urban life. From the variety of diets to the provision and distribution of basic resources, the methods of cooking and serving food, each has become a topic for discussion.

The evolution of human nutrition has come a long way to reach the current situation, and it seems that this dynamic will never cease. With the emergence of restaurants, there have been changes in raw materials, food, and tableware. The style of food has also undergone numerous transformations in the following decades.

In the culture of Iran and other countries, the tablecloth is a geographical determinant that brings a family or group together. The table holds various meanings, interpretations, and functions in general culture and among different regions.

In the past, fabric tablecloths were more commonly used. With the development of oil and petrochemical industries, nylon tablecloths are now being used by people

About The Curators(s)

Ghazal Zare
Born in 1978, Tehran

She holds a bachelor's degree in Cell Biology from Shahid Beheshti University, a bachelor's degree in Graphic Design from the University of Art, and a master's degree in Visual Arts from Alzahra University.
She curated the exhibition “Usefriti - Unit 8,”, presented at Didar Gallery.

Prior to this, she curated the exhibition “It Fell but Did Not Break” at Vista Gallery.

Ghazal Zare has participated in numerous group exhibitions, including:

• Scent of Flowers and Birds, Vista Gallery, 2023
• Waste–Zero, Iranshahr Gallery, 2021
• Companionship, Tarahan Azad Gallery, 2021
• Friends of Haft Samar, Haft Samar Gallery, 2019
• Transformation, Haft Samar Gallery, 2016