Speaker: Dr Hamid Keshmirshekan
The British Academy International Conference, titled “Reinterpreting History and Memory: Contemporary Art of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA),” explored how history and memory are reflected and reimagined through contemporary art practices in the region, examining the connection between art and broader social and intellectual discourses.
A section of the conference was dedicated to the discussion and analysis of Parham Taghioff’s works, presented as exemplary cases of a critical engagement with history, memory, and representation within contemporary Iranian art. His photographic projects were highlighted for their philosophical approach to the rewriting of history and their ability to challenge the boundaries between image, document, and historical interpretation.
The conference emphasized the possibility of challenging the present through the reinterpretation of history, addressing the enduring and collective impact of recent traumatic memories. It focused on art practices intertwined with activism, both within the region and across the global diaspora, analysing how artists critically reimagine both distant and recent pasts — pasts that no longer exist, yet continue to shape and haunt the present.
Furthermore, the conference examined how these artistic practices engage with and respond to contemporary socio-political realities within historical contexts. By bringing together scholars and artists from diverse disciplines, the British Academy provided an interdisciplinary framework for studying contemporary art, illuminating the intersections between art, politics, and culture in the MENA region today.