︎︎︎Alireza Labeshka

There’s a word in Farsi that is most probably non-translatable to other languages: “Jaan” Many would translate it to “existence” or “spirit” (“Geist” in German), or the noun form of the adjective “live” but something that is different from “life” to convey the very “being” of a person, a plant or an animal. But Farsi has a specific word dedicated to each of the mentioned translations. Thus, if a word is indicative of an idea, a meaning, or distinct entities and phenomena, we are faced with a concept that has no equivalent in English and many other languages. The presence or absence of this notion could affect a vast array of issues regarding human existence on this planet. But what is truly “Jaan”? Instead of answering this vital and philosophical question, he approaches this matter through a series of propositions and artworks. In this instance, with a sign in a public park in London.

︎ Alireza Labeshka is a Berlin-based curator, art director, and artist. In 2012, he founded Raf Gallery in Tehran and in 2017 he established Raf Projects e.V in Berlin. He was anonymously present also as an artist in most exhibitions he curated. Alireza's approach in art is deeply connected with literature which he believes all arts and humanities eventually lead back to. Photographs, images, installations, urban interventions and his signs are all excuses for him to delve further into literature.