Ag Galerie at Unseen Amsterdam 2021 showing Abbas Kowsari: Masculinity A
When Abbas Kowsari (Tehran, 1970) began this trilogy, most artists in Iran were focusing on women because of the women’s rights and other social rights movements gaining momentum at the time. "The lack of men as artistic subjects is what inspired me to approach them as a subject, something that Sadegh Tirafkan had also begun to do."
Masculinity A—a look at the bodybuilding culture in Iran—was to be the first of three series on men begun in 2006. The series of photos employs oversaturated coloring as well as dramatic lighting in order to further emphasize the staged nature of the contest at hand. In these works Kowsari explores the male side, divorcing hyper-masculine images of wrestlers and bodybuilders from their established cultural contexts. The strangely vulnerable notions of masculinity projected by men seem humorous. They overwhelm us with their overblown and rocky muscles. They generously show us the physical prowess of their well oiled bodies. And there are the viewers who devour their heroes and demi-gods with their eager eyes, almost with envy. The body builders do not aggress, but seem to caress, seduce and invite the viewer with their theatrical poses, at times skilled and at times gauche. Here, as in other themes presented, the tensions of different modes of existence are presented, whether in a shopping mall, a bus, or on the body builder's stage.
Kowsari explains, “I’ve always been interested in masculinity and how this has traditionally been defined by one’s looks and physical make-up instead of a person’s character. This approach to the topic resulted in self-reflection; what defines me as a man. Am I masculine, or should I understand masculinity to be what I see in these bodybuilders? Continuing this exploration, I made the second series depicting wrestlers in 2007. This series was more than just the physical build of a man. Now there’s competition involved; power defined by victory. The last of the series, Masculinity C, turns to ordinary men. These are men you see on a daily basis. They are not bodybuilders, they are not augmented from their reality. They are normal.”
Masculinity A is an ongoing photography project documenting the body-building culture in Iran.