Kiarostami's Installations at CCCB Barcelona

Abbas Kiarostami's installations, including 'Sleepers', 'Ten Minutes Older', and 'Tadzieh', are examined for their exploration of the boundary between private and public. The works invite a voyeuristic gaze, with visitors peering into intimate emotions or observing a sleeping couple. Kiarostami presents these alongside Victor Erice at the Centre de Cultura Contemporània in Barcelona from February 7 to May 8, 2006, with a subsequent presentation at Centre Pompidou in Paris in late 2007. The article traces Kiarostami's shift from traditional cinema to installation art, noting a serial sensibility in his films that prefigured this move. His use of video, starting with 'Taste of Cherry' and fully in 'ABC Africa', 'Ten', and 'Five', allowed him to escape narrative constraints. The installations emphasize duration and direct perception, with 'Sleepers' offering a 98-minute loop of sleeping figures projected on the floor, creating a sense of shared present. 'Tadzieh', a multi-screen work, captures a Shia ritual performance, separating male and female audiences. Kiarostami's geometric, carpet-like compositions are evident, with 'Forest' installation merging direct experience and tapestry effects. The article argues that Kiarostami's installations free him from the tension between humanist warmth and formalist coldness in his films, allowing a pure exploration of time, space, and perception.