Behind the curtains of animation

Animation spans multiple dimensions of our lives. It is a magical, philosophical, physical experience, and a form of social action. Coming from a background in engineering and science, Pedram began his artistic practice as an animator in 2015. Meanwhile, he frames animation rather as an encyclopaedic practice: a multidimensional study exploring the intersections of art, science, humanity, and technology.

This exhibition traces a dialogue between Pardeh-Khani – (literally, “reading the curtain”) – and contemporary animation. This ancient Iranian art of pictorial storytelling combined painted canvases with epic poetry, music, and performance. Storytellers brought images to life through voice, gesture, and rhythm, while audiences engaged collectively, experiencing knowledge through multiple senses.

In Pedram’s practice, Pardeh-Khani endures both as a tradition and as a method—a way to activate archives and perform knowledge, shaping how we communicate, learn, and make sense of the world. The exhibition gathers a decade of practice (2015–2025) – including installations, drawings, sketches, paintings, VR, and video fragments – bringing Pedram’s archive into view while opening toward new departures.

On 27.11.25, on the occasion of the opening, two performances will take place from 19:00 onwards. Teacher Paul Demets will open the evening with poetry, and Amin Azizi will close it with music!

Pedram Kargar is an artistic researcher affiliated with KASK & Conservatorium, the school of arts of HOGENT and Howest. The research project Behind the curtains of animation was funded by the HOGENT Arts Research Fund.

Every Thursday from November 7th to December 19th, visitors are invited to experience an octagonal Persian-inspired installation. Weekly, the installation comes to life with evolving animations, colors, and artistic collaborations. 

Planning

• 07.11.24 Poetry
• 14.11.24 Cooking
• 21.11.24 Music
• 28.11.24 Calligraphy
• 05.12.24 Archisculpture
• 12.12.24 Painting
• 19.12.24 Dance (Yalda Night)

Pedram Kargar is affiliated as an artistic researcher to KASK & Conservatorium, the school of arts of HOGENT and howest. The research project Behind the Curtains of Animation was financed by the HOGENT Arts Research Fund.

Every Thursday from November 7th to December 19th, visitors are invited to experience an octagonal Persian-inspired installation. Weekly, the installation comes to life with evolving animations, colors, and artistic collaborations. 

Planning

• 07.11.24 Poetry
• 14.11.24 Cooking
• 21.11.24 Music
• 28.11.24 Calligraphy
• 05.12.24 Archisculpture
• 12.12.24 Painting
• 19.12.24 Dance (Yalda night)

Pedram Kargar is affiliated as an artistic researcher to KASK & Conservatorium, the school of arts of HOGENT and howest. The research project Behind the Curtains of Animation was financed by the HOGENT Arts Research Fund.

Every Thursday from November 7th to December 19th, visitors are invited to experience an octagonal Persian-inspired installation. Weekly, the installation comes to life with evolving animations, colors, and artistic collaborations. 

Planning

• 07.11.24 Poetry
• 14.11.24 Cooking
• 21.11.24 Music
• 28.11.24 Calligraphy
• 05.12.24 Archisculpture
• 12.12.24 Painting
• 19.12.24 Dance (Yalda night)

Pedram Kargar is affiliated as an artistic researcher to KASK & Conservatorium, the school of arts of HOGENT and howest. The research project Behind the Curtains of Animation was financed by the HOGENT Arts Research Fund.

Every Thursday from November 7th to December 19th, visitors are invited to experience an octagonal Persian-inspired installation. Weekly, the installation comes to life with evolving animations, colors, and artistic collaborations. 

Planning

• 07.11.24 Poetry
• 14.11.24 Cooking-
• 21.11.24 Music
• 28.11.24 Calligraphy
• 05.12.24 Archisculpture
• 12.12.24 Painting
• 19.12.24 Dance (Yalda night)

Pedram Kargar is affiliated as an artistic researcher to KASK & Conservatorium, the school of arts of HOGENT and howest. The research project Behind the Curtains of Animation was financed by the HOGENT Arts Research Fund.

Every Thursday from November 7th to December 19th, visitors are invited to experience an octagonal Persian-inspired installation. Weekly, the installation comes to life with evolving animations, colors, and artistic collaborations. 

Planning

• 07.11.24 Poetry
• 14.11.24 Cooking
• 21.11.24 Music
• 28.11.24 Calligraphy
• 05.12.24 Archisculpture
• 12.12.24 Painting
• 19.12.24 Dance (Yalda night)

Pedram Kargar is affiliated as an artistic researcher to KASK & Conservatorium, the school of arts of HOGENT and howest. The research project Behind the Curtains of Animation was financed by the HOGENT Arts Research Fund.

Every Thursday from November 7th to December 19th, visitors are invited to experience an octagonal Persian-inspired installation. Weekly, the installation comes to life with evolving animations, colors, and artistic collaborations. 

Planning

• 07.11.24 Poetry
• 14.11.24 Cooking
• 21.11.24 Music
• 28.11.24 Calligraphy
• 05.12.24 Archisculpture
• 12.12.24 Painting
• 19.12.24 Dance (Yalda night)

Pedram Kargar is affiliated as an artistic researcher to KASK & Conservatorium, the school of arts of HOGENT and howest. The research project Behind the Curtains of Animation was financed by the HOGENT Arts Research Fund.

Every Thursday from November 7th to December 19th, visitors are invited to experience an octagonal Persian-inspired installation. Weekly, the installation comes to life with evolving animations, colors, and artistic collaborations. 

Planning

• 07.11.24 Poetry
• 14.11.24 Music
• 21.11.24 Cooking
• 28.11.24 Calligraphy
• 05.12.24 Archisculpture
• 12.12.24 Painting
• 19.12.24 Dance (Yalda night)

Pedram Kargar is affiliated as an artistic researcher to KASK & Conservatorium, the school of arts of HOGENT and howest. The research project Behind the Curtains of Animation was financed by the HOGENT Arts Research Fund.

During the autumn, the neo-Gothic entrance hall of KASK & Conservatorium on Jozef Kluyskensstraat will be occupied by a Persian, octagonal installation from which the space will gradually be animated and coloured with new interventions and collaborations.

“Zurkhaneh (Persian for "house of strength") is a traditional gymnasium in Iran where athletes practise an ancient form of physical training, known as "Pahlevani" or "Varzesh-e Bastani" (Ancient Sport). This practice combines martial arts, power training, callisthenics, spirituality, ethics, devotion, poetry, and music rooted in Iranian culture and history. Inspired by this rich deductive, artistic, philosophical, and socio-political heritage of Zurkhaneh, the House of Animation seeks to explore and justify the deep connections and contributions of eight key Persian arts (∞PARTS)—poetry, painting, sculpture, architecture, performance, calligraphy, music, and cooking—to the field of animation studies. These diverse art forms converge within an octagonal structure, symbolically representing the Zurkhaneh as a true house of animation. By closely examining the relationship between animation and performance in Zurkhaneh, the project delves into essential parameters such as movement, embodiment, time, space, object and choreography, highlighting how much these traditional arts have in common with the principles of Animation. 

Animation is often understood and interpreted primarily through the lens of film and motion pictures, relying heavily on apparatus (projectors, cameras, optical toys, etc), and the illusion of motion. But what if we step beyond these technological tools and techniques? This project aims to liberate animation from the confines of the frame and screen, expanding its theory and practice by emphasizing performativity as a fundamental element. In this context, animation transforms into a space where the agency of body and mind can flourish, finding expression and refuge beyond conventional boundaries.” 

Pedram Kargar is affiliated as an artistic researcher to KASK & Conservatorium, the school of arts of HOGENT and howest. The research project Behind the Curtains of Animation was financed by the HOGENT Arts Research Fund.

Pedram Kargar studied electronic engineer in Iran, but when he arrived in Belgium he opted for an additional artistic training as an animation filmmaker. Kargar migrates the medium-specific technical and conceptual parameters in his ‘animalogical’ installations, where he transforms the methodology of animation into spatial metaphors.

Unlike in live action cinema, the animator does not ‘capture’ actions with the camera in their real time duration. In animated film, the duration of time is composed frame by frame. The result is an illusory, synthetic time that is created and exists only through and within this medium. 

And thus Kargar visualises the summation of time units through an accumulation of clockworks. ‘As the clock ticks at home, it ticks nowhere else,’ reads a Flemish proverb. Kargar adopted a solid collection of wooden clocks that used to supply the interiors of as many conservative homesteads and supplemented these with alarm clocks of all kinds. The restless and noisy soundscape that Kargar orchestrates in n0dine creates an analogy for the noiseless ease that allows us to hop from time zone to time zone online, making the whole world seem at our fingertips all at once.

Pedram Kargar is affiliated as an artistic researcher to KASK & Conservatorium, the school of arts of HOGENT and howest. The research project Behind the Curtains of Animation was financed by the HOGENT Arts Research Fund.

What is behind the curtain of animation?

SUM (THING+BODY):

There is EVERYTHING! +
There is SOMETHING! +

There is NOTHING!
+
There is EVERYBODY! +
There is SOMEBODY! +
There is NOBODY!

Ingrediënts:
Leeg doek+Stof+Hout+Metaal+Glas+Kunststof+Speelzand+NaaldboomschorsHoutschors+Lavasteen+Berggrind+Zeegrind+Riviergrind +Stapsteen+Krijt+Papier+Inkt+Elektromagneet++Beeld+Geluid+Woord+Lichaam+Ruimte+Tijd+Beweging+Belichaming+Creativiteit +Erfgoed

Open: 30.11.2023, 19:00
Close: 15.12.2023, 21:30

Pedram Kargar is affiliated as an artistic researcher to KASK & Conservatorium, the school of arts of HOGENT and howest. The research project Behind the Curtains of Animation was financed by the HOGENT Arts Research Fund.

De mens krijgt deze taak om zijn vragen uit te voeren. Om zijn/haar blote Voeten op de grond te zetten en de Hemel op zijn/haar hoofd te houden. Om zijn/haar rug en knie niet te buigen onder de druk van de krachten van iemand of iets. Om te staan voor vrijheid, wijsheid en comfort voor de mensheid. Trouwens, wat zou zwaarder zijn? Voorwerpen? ons gewicht? Of de gedachte die we met ons meedragen? Wat kunnen we doen? Een woord vasthouden? Of de wereld laten vallen?

Kom en deel met ons alle zware dingen die je in je leven optilt. We zullen je een massage geven, waardoor je kunt animeren en een beetje kunt rusten!

Pedram Kargar is als artistiek onderzoeker verbonden aan KASK & Conservatorium, de school of arts van HOGENT en Howest. Het onderzoeksproject Pedram's Atlas werd gefinancierd door het Onderzoeksfonds Kunsten van HOGENT.