Lot 212: Busking, 2005

Busking, 2005
Acrylic on canvas. 143 x 139 cm. (56 3/8 x 54 3/4 in).  Signed [in English and Farsi] 'Rokni Haeri' lower left.

 Private collection, Europe

This lyrical depiction of Iranian street performers belongs to a series of works from by Rokni Haerazideh entitled Busking. The series depicts buffoons, troubadours, Sufi mystics and other creatures from Iranian folk culture and as a whole celebrates the colour, drama and movement of street life.
 
In this lot, a gypsy woman in a brilliant red dress creates a frenzy of movement as she walks on her hands through a ring of braided hair and oranges, the flounce of her dress aflutter as she arcs her legs over her head. To accompany her dance, a mustachioed man in a striped shirt and cap plays the Tombak, a traditional Persian drum. Entranced by the beat of his own drum and the flourishes of the dancer, he embodies the multi-sensory experience one might have as a by-stander on the street. By blending the themes of bohemian poverty, sensuality and emotional expression, the scene exemplifies Haerizadeh’s romantic view of folk culture.