Earth, Sea, Sun, And Sky
Art in Nature
Barbara
Stieff
Perstel
Munich . London . New York 2011
www.prestel.com
ISBN 978-3-7913-7048-4

Dear Mr. Nadalian,
Ahmad,
I´m very pleased an
honored, that you like my book and will promote it on your website.
While researching
for the book, I got to know the works of a lot of different Land Art and
Nature Art artists. Reading about your works on your website, made a
strong impression on me. I read and felt that you do not "make" art, but
live art. It seems that you are engaged with nature as an artist,
healer, "shaman", teacher,...
We all need to be
reminded constantly, that we are a part of nature, we cannot be
separated. And all the harm we do to nature, we cause to ourselves
aswell.
While I worked on
that book, my bonding with nature grew stronger. By beholding it through
the eyes of various artist my connection became deeper and richer.
What can I say but:
thank you for the work you do.
With kind regards,
Barbara Stieff


Ahmad Nadalian Fish Stones in Water
For the Persian artist Ahmad Nadalian,
fish are symbols of human soul. They are thirsty for life. Like a
shaman in earlier times or a good pastor today, Nadlain wants to help
people. He engraves the fish onto stones and then returns them to nature
once again, where they can become vigorous and swim like fish in water.

Pleasure of New
life
As a ritual, I have dropped my
carved stones into rivers, canals, reservoirs and seas. Playing
host for the past decade, these bodies of water the world
over now hold a surplus of imaginary fish and other creatures.
The purpose of this tradition results in the ultimate goal of
dedicating my fish to all humanity. In documenting the physical
process of releasing the fish into water, I came upon a new
horizon: how water accepts and effects the art. The shapes
created by the splash of a stone breaking the water's surface
are amazing, thus, it may be considered a "water scuplture".
More


Ahmad Nadalian , Hidden Treasure
As part of his art, Ahmad Nadalian
buries his creations all around the world in holes in the ground.
People who observe him doing it may secretly want to retrieve the
"treasure," hoping to find gold and jewels. But at the bottom of
each hole there is a simple stone with a motif carved into it.
These stones are the treasure, though people often do not realize it.
For the carved stones represent the artist's ideas and good wishes for
the whole earth.

Hidden Treasures: An Art Exhibition for next Millenniums
Persian
During my frequent travels to
different parts of the world,
I have
buryed
many of
my
carved stones in different land.
In addition, many artists and
individuals, from
different nationality carried out and buried my carvings in the different place
of the earth. These mostly show images of
fish and human hand and
foot traces
and animals.
I documented some of these and presented
here. More
Mythological Treasures or
Contemporary Art
The story of "Hidden Treasures" began when the people in Polour
started to excavate the place where I carved several images
and texts on the local rocks. They hoped to
find treasures there. According to a tradition in the north of Iran,
the images of fish or a snake on the rocks can be a sign of treasure.
I never ignored that my works are perhaps an indication of treasure
when I heard this story.
More
About the book:
Earth, Sea, Sun, And Sky
Art in Nature
Barbara
Stieff
Perstel
Munich . London . New York
This
engaging book introduces young readers to the enormous variety of art that
exists within the natural environment.
Art can
be a garden; a spiral of broken pebbles or dandelions; a wheat field in a
former garbage dump. It can be
made of wood carved with a chainsaw or a drawing using dust and earth. It can be
transitory—painted on sand only to be erased by waves; or it can be built
to last, like sculpture gardens by renowned artists. Filled
with beautiful images, this book will help children appreciate the
different ways that artists employ nature in their work. It
examines an array of examples, including sculpture gardens, mazes, land
art, and nature-related works in museums while exploring the works of
international artists, including Niki de Saint Phalle, Daniel Spoerri,
Antonio Gaudi, Christo, the Ant Farm, Nancy Holt, Joseph Beuys, Agnes
Denes, and Andy Goldsworthy. The book
provides readers with a wealth of ideas for creating their own paintings,
drawings, sculptures, and experiments. Children will experience hours of
inspiration as they discover the artistic possibilities that exist in the
natural world.
Barbara Stieff
is an author and stage director who worked for
many years at the ZOOM children’s museum in Vienna. In 2007 her successful
book Hundertwasser for Children and in 2008 her The Blue Rider
for Children were published by Prestel Verlag.





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