The Last 89 Seconds
Mojdeh Art Gallery had been preparing for several months to participate in the Volta Art Fair in Basel, Switzerland. This art fair, centered on issues related to humanity, commenced on June 17, 2025. Galleries from almost thirty countries in the world attended the event. In the Middle Eastern section, named MENA, Mojdeh Art Gallery was the sole representative from Iran, presenting a research-based exhibition founded on a comparative study by its talented artist, Azim Morakabatchi. Azim Morakabatchi's collection, titled "The Last 89 Seconds," specifically focused on fundamental human issues, depicting the final seconds of this world. The "last seconds" because, due to contemporary human actions—wars, conflicts, and the oppression inflicted upon the Earth—there was little time left until the doomsday clock. All arrangements for the art fair were complete, and the Mojdeh Art Gallery team, along with Azim Morakabatchi, were en route to Switzerland in the late hours of June 13.
On the evening of June 13, with only a few hours remaining until the gallery's departure for Switzerland, war broke out. This war incinerated all our efforts and hopes for the art fair. What remained of us at Volta was an empty booth, which was reduced in size as much as possible once the art fair learned of our absence. Since all plans had been made in advance, Azim Morakabatchi 's wife, Mona Mobarakshahi, had traveled from Iran before the war to join us at the art fair. Consequently, the empty booth of Mojdeh Art Gallery, adorned with only our poster and brochure, was displayed in Switzerland with the support of dear Mona during the difficult days of war in Iran. Although this collection did not reach its intended destination, we believe it conveyed its universal message and experienced the very fate it symbolized. Perhaps now it's necessary to change the number mentioned in the collection's title; we are certainly facing fewer than 89 seconds.
Be vigilant! The hands of the doomsday clock have been pulled back again, even before having a chance to be displayed.
Saadat Afzood
Azim Morakabatchi - The Last 89 Seconds - 120 x 200 cm - Oil on canvas - 2025
