Resonance and Remnants (2023) - Omid Asadi
I am a bit remiss in having passed this gem of a gallery that has been sat adjacent to Deansgate train station for 40 years. Thankfully I visited the gallery with friends for a private viewing and brainstorming session, Monday 11th December 2023. What a wonderful thing it is!
Omid Asadi’s work did make me think indeed. In Iran dandelion seeds landing on you are viewed as signifying a message that is yet to come, so a dream in one sense. If you look closely enough, or view the exhibition you’ll see that the floor is blanketed by dandelion seeds, thousands of them all signifying dreams, a floor of dreams yet to come or already in existence. Surrounding and puncturing the dreams are memories; an old wall, a telephone, a paraffin heater in this case, surrounded by the words of an Iranian poet killed by the regime emanating from an old Sharp cassette player.
These are Asadi’s dreams and memories from his past. All in juxtaposition. And I found resonance with this. I dream, we all dream, and we all have memories which are dreams. Dreams of the past. And it is a stimulating thing to think of myself dreaming of the past, of maybes and things yet to come and that may never come, whilst living in the here and now.
The exhibition made me think of a much simpler youth, of my past, especially the old style telephone, as did the surrounding and derelict building. And I dream all the time of the past and maybes which the dandelions signify. So for me it was both poignant and reminded me that I whilst I live and connect in the present, which is the concrete, dreams are am ever present part of my present. So the term, one day at a time, or one moment at a time is a much wider and unconstrained concept.
The sister exhibit contains storage boxes both old and new collected from various sources all stacked and ready to be opened. I myself think this a statement of people’s unopened dreams stacked away for use, sometimes never opened.
About Castlefield Gallery
“We are a contemporary art gallery and artist development organisation. Established in 1984, we’ve led the way in artist development for almost 40 years. We provide creative and career development, exhibition opportunities and commissions for artists and independents. We work from our galleries in Manchester, off-site, online and in the public realm. We create long-lasting impacts in our city region, North West and beyond. Our national and international activities focus on artist exchange. Castlefield Gallery’s public and participation programmes provoke new ways of thinking, bringing together artists, creatives, communities and audiences to explore the art and issues of our time. We believe when artists and communities come together they can help shape a better world.”
https://www.castlefieldgallery.co.uk/about/