Mohsen Gallery, Tehran, Iran
Curated by
Lila Nazemian
Ahmed presented works from Desert of Pharan as part of this group exhibition in Tehran, other artists in the exhibition included Tarek Al-Ghoussein, Arwa Al Neami, Wafaa Bilal, and Lamya Gargash.
By examining structures that reflect specific cultural moments in history, the exhibition sought to understand the ways in which certain social behaviors are shaped, conveyed, and embedded in both physical and intangible spaces.
Through works revealed nuance in the stability and fluidity of such contexts at specific historical junctures. Ultimately, such systems are also linked to cultural identity and are intrinsic in shaping ways in which peoples define one another.
Of Ahmed's work, the curator Lila Nazemian said: "Ahmed Mater’s Desert of Pharan addresses questions of preservation and the shifting identity of religious, historical, and political capital in the holy city of Mecca due to extensive construction."
The exhibition was accompanied by an illustrated catalogue with essays by the artist, curator and Professor Amirhosein Bayani, philosopher Ashkan Salehi and artist and Professor Behrang Samadzadegan.
