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Discourse Analysis of the Transition from “Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian” to “Monirism” in Contemporary Iranian Art
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Mahsa Nejat *   |
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Abstract: (10 Views) |
Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian is among the artists who successfully fused minimalism and geometric abstraction with what was often referred to as Iranian identity, thus creating a unique artistic style. Her mirror works demonstrate not only her influence on Iranian artists but also the emergence of a new discursive current within contemporary Iranian art. This article aims to analyze the transition from “Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian” to what may be termed “Monirism” within the context of contemporary Iranian art. The central question of this study is: through what processes and in relation to which discourses was the artistic phenomenon of “Monirism” constructed from Farmanfarmaian’s mirror works and those of subsequent artists influenced by her? The objective of this article is to investigate the power/knowledge processes through which Farmanfarmaian’s works and artistic methods became an authoritative and legitimized current within the discourse of contemporary Iranian art-a current here identified for the first time as “Monirism.” The research methodology is based on Foucauldian discourse analysis. This article seeks to reveal the connection between Farmanfarmaian’s art and the cultural, economic, and historical structures of legitimation in contemporary Iran. The study’s findings indicate that “Monirism” is not merely the result of the aesthetic features of Farmanfarmaian’s artworks, but a construct arising from the intersection of multiple discourses, including neo-traditionalism, modernism, reformism and centrism, the art market, and cultural policy. In this sense, the emergence of “Monirism” must be understood as a cultural-political project wherein Islamic visual traditions are redefined through modernist reinterpretations and the mediation of art institutions such as museums and galleries. Ultimately, “Monirism” is solidified not only as an aesthetic identity but also, through the networks of power/knowledge, becomes one of the discourses that shape identity and subjectivity in contemporary Iranian art. |
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| Keywords: Monir Farmanfarmaian, Monirism, Mirrorwork, Foucauldian Discourse Analysis, Michel Foucault, Contemporary Iranian Art |
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Full-Text [PDF 890 kb]
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/11/4 | Accepted: 2026/04/23
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