Jörg Ahrnt

The reception of the East and encounters with Iran and its art define Jörg Ahrnt’s entire artistic oeuvre. Since 2005, his drawings have taken their inspiration from the Iranian drawing “riverlandscape” from the 14th century – a complex, ornamental pictorial space, which seems to vibrate, emanates from his large, colourful, Indian ink works. Dazzling colours and the complicated and playful diffusion of light reinforce this impression. Photographs that Ahrnt has taken on countless trips to Iran also provide topical references and illustrate clear ruptures in the Persian-Iranian cultural tradition. Traditional drawing techniques meet modern reality, captured in the photographs: both reflect one another and converge in this mutual superimposition of the contradictions within Iran and not least the contradictions and similarities between East and West.