Investigating new media approaches in the works of four contemporary Iranian female artists (Rozita Sharaf Jahan, Bita Fayazi, Neda Razavipour)

Dissertation for Master's Degree (M.A.)

Trend: Painting

Abstract: Since the second half of the 20th century, when non-commercial uses of visual media increased, artists in the field of visual arts discovered new possibilities. They used tools to express their ideas that were not common until then, but despite the development of technology, they were becoming widespread and replaced. These new tools, which are today's new media and were a perfect tool for conceptual arts that were just emerging, include video art, performance art, installation art, land art, and so on. And sometimes a combination of these media.

There are many women who shined in this field and created a richer position for this field. In our land of Iran, we also see contemporary female artists who have found their place both in the national and international fields. The number of these dear ones is not small, but in the volume of this treatise, only a few of these artists can be examined. Sarkar Khanumha, Rosita Sharaf Jahan, Neda Razavipour, Bita Fayazi.

The review of the works of these loved ones is not a comparison and does not seek to find someone superior to others. Useful and valuable results can be achieved only by examining the way these loved ones deal with the creation of their works. This information sheds light on the position of Iranian female artists in the process of creating works, as well as the relationship they have established with new media. The results obtained from this research make us more aware of the extent of freedom that modern media provides to artists.

Chapter 1: Outline

1-1 statement of the problem

For nearly two decades, Iranian women have an active and impressive presence in all artistic fields, the field of media arts, but the field is ruthless. In order to fill the void of the brilliant physical presence of some of these female artists of this border and region in order to introduce them more and better, as well as to evaluate how they deal with the creation of works infused with the spirit of the times, which is undoubtedly a prominent feature in the works of these artists, research and investigation is necessary in this regard, as well as familiarity with the type of approach and perspective and how a work is formed from the point of view of artists who have established their place in this society and also in the international arenas, for artists who have recently stepped into this have spent the abyss, it is expected to be valuable and useful. There are few women who have shined in this field and there are few studies that have been done in the field of introducing these artists. Obviously, in this thesis, there will not be a place to discuss and study the activities of all contemporary Iranian women artists, and it is clear that the number of Iranian women artists who deserve to be examined and analyzed is not proportional to the volume of this thesis, therefore, in this thesis, an attempt is made to address the artistic characteristics of three of the most prominent Iranian women artists: Rosita Sharaf Jahan, Bita Fayazi, Neda Razavipour, with a general examination of the presence of Iranian women in contemporary art. In this regard, while examining the era of communication, the special features of new means of expression (video art[1], installation art[2], performance art[3], internet art[4], digital art[5], etc.) and the coordinates of new creations will be addressed, and the conditions of Iranian women artists being placed in this abyss will be studied, analyzed and investigated. 1-2 Objectives Research:

Since the new media and how it is used in the artistic fields in Iran has been less discussed, while it has a special place in the contemporary art of the world, and also the use of these media as a means of expressing and representing the ideas of artists in the current society of Iran is also increasing at a considerable speed, the necessity of addressing and describing this process in the contemporary time is considered undeniable. Due to the limited field researches related to Iranian women as well as the limited volume of this thesis, I have selected and introduced three prominent women who are included in this division, and by analyzing their works and the interviews that have taken place, I am writing an unwritten page of the history of contemporary Iranian art.

1-3 The importance of the research topic and the motivation for choosing it:

In this thesis, an attempt is made to examine the unwritten and unspoken points of the contemporary history of Iranian art in order to clarify the salient features and solutions applied by artists, and to address the existing theories in line with artistic suggestions and solutions. In order to achieve this goal and to present as close to the reality as possible, the contents of this treatise will be based on the interviews and explanations given by these artists personally, in order to avoid any unrealistic perception regarding this issue. At the same time, the purpose of this essay is to examine the new creations of half of Iran's society, i.e., "women", so that some members of this society describe it in their own language and with their own world.

1-4 research questions and hypotheses

Research questions

Do modern media approaches in the works of Iranian women have feminist tendencies?

Choosing new media for reasons such as Was it due to the failure of the previous media or due to keeping pace with other artistic communities around the world?

Is the use of new media by contemporary artists inevitable?

- Research hypotheses

- Based on the currents that are observed in this field around the world and also the experiences that have been carried out by artists in the past, he estimated that these approaches can be affected by feminist tendencies.

-      The use of new media as the new achievements of the industrial society offers many options to artists in different fields, but this does not mean that using them will be a negation of others. For example, it is obvious that the use of color and canvas is not a negation of photography, it is just a different approach in the direction of creativity. Familiarity with new media can be considered the equivalent of literacy in the past ages. Because these media play a very important role in the life of contemporary people and lack of familiarity with this phenomenon can be considered as illiteracy in the present age. As one of the most influential sections of the society, the artist is obliged to be diligent in raising his level of literacy as much as possible in order to succeed in playing his role with the highest quality.   

1-5 research model:

In this research, the attempt is to first discuss the generalities of using new media in the international arena and how to replace these media as a means of expression in the world of art, and then to address the coordinates of the presence of new media in the field of new creations of Iranian female artists, and to address the points of commonality and difference in the field of creativity of these artists.

1-6 operational definitions of variables and key words:

new art, new media, conceptual art, performance art, installation art, video art, ground art, internet art

1-7 research method:

according to the title and topic chosen, which is based on the new media approaches of several contemporary Iranian female artists, it is therefore necessary to study the writings, reviews and descriptions and The descriptions that have been made regarding these artists in the past, face-to-face and direct interviews with these artists should also be addressed. These interviews and conversations have been done with the collaboration of these artists and they have helped this dissertation in presenting more reliable and closer to reality.

Therefore, this research has been done in the form of library, field and interview. The method of carrying out this research is comparative and descriptive-analytical analysis.

1-8 Limitations and problems of the research:

As the title of the research suggests, modern media approaches are investigated in contemporary times, therefore, due to the contemporaneity of this issue, written sources in this field are not available or are limited to scattered articles and short reviews. Therefore, the presented materials, which are extracted from written sources and reference books, are very limited and have been done with a lot of searching. It is obvious that this kind of research with this category of titles that indicate contemporary approaches lacks a wide background and as it is clear from the word contemporary, it does not have a root in history or studies with a wide scope, and conducting research like the upcoming treatise is aimed at filling the empty spaces in relation to these issues. May this research add a leaf to this history that is being compiled. Chapter Two: Theoretical Studies Introduction The art of the 20th century is an art that owes its current extent to artists who break the structure and are bold, as well as the momentary advancement of technology in various fields.