Mithras II in Dieburg

The exhibiton 'for example Mithras part 2' by Farangis Yegane

Farangis Yegane: for example Mithras II

Farangis Yegane
at the Museum Schloss Fechenbach

From February 28. to May 16. 2010 Farangis Yegane held her exhibiton 'FOR EXAMPLE MITHRAS, PART II' at the Museum Schloss Fechenbach in Dieburg, Hessen - a place of historic meaning for the Roman Mithras Cult.

One of the most prestigious mithraic findings had been made in Dieburg 1926 with the famous relief which shows rare scenes of the mithraic cult with a yet mostly undisclosed mythical meaning. Farangis has taken up the motifs of the Dieburg relief and visually connects the symbols with a splendid philosophy of life: in her visual interpretation Mithras eventually rejects to slay the Bull of Creation.

Farangis, at her exhibiton 'zum Beispiel Mithras Teil 2' in Dieburg

Farangis Yegane: at for example Mithras II in Dieburg 2010.

Arts and Mythology

As Dr. Andreas Hensen of the Kurpfälzisches Landesmuseum Heidelberg rightly mentioned in the introductory speech, it is rare for artists today to reflect on ancient cultures and to interpet archeological artefacts.

Farangis employs the archaic function of the image in the basicness that visual language holds. In her work the image-language of a past and the present is transposed and understood as an unbreakable continuum. On this page we want to give a brief overlook of the idea and the final realization of Farangis' Mithras II exhibiton at the Museum Schloss Fechenbach.

Farangis Yegane's project came into life in the 90ies as an interpretation of the Mithras cult. The main findings of the cult are the sacred reliefs, one of which is the reknowned Dieburg relief. Farangis presented the first part of her work-cycle with large diptychs and triptychs, objects and installations 1994 in the archaeological Museum Frankfurt am Main. The first exhibition put its emphasis on the social, the historical and religious meaning of the Roman cult - as we can perceive it now. The Dieburg exhibition shifted the focus more towards the veiled past of Mithas' prececessor: Mithra, and thus on the Persian pre-Zoroastrian roots of the mithraic symbolism and a setting-into-relation of the cult with our present time.

Farangis Yegane: zum Beispiel Mithras I

Access the video-file on our server, instead of YouTube HERE

The Sponsors, Organizers and Supporters

The main sponsors who made this exhibition possible were the HEAG Südhessische Energie AG (HSE), Wilhelm und Gabriele Lück, Siegen, and the Sparkasse Dieburg. The exhibiton has been organized by the Museum Schloss Fechenbach and Farangis Yegane. Our special thanks go to the director of Museum Schloss Fechenbach Maria Prozenheim and the staff of the Museum especially Karin Zuleger, Tina Rosenfeld and Lothar Lammer. Claudia Leffringhausen was of great help with her cooperative spirit for the realisation of the catalogue.

Also our thanks go to the people who took inspiration from the exhibiton.

A positive comment of support by Mr. John W. Brant:

[...] I personally believe your paintings captured the essence of the Mithraic spirit. I especially like your painting "Die Stiertötung" because it portrays the the shedding of the eternal blood for the salvation of the myste. Mithraism placed an emphais on the salvation of the individual soul, and your painting clearly represents that event in the initation of the rebirth of the myste.
Et nos servasti eternali sanguine fuso
(And you saved us after having shed the eternal blood)

I also like your painting of Cautes and Cautopates. I would like to ask you to paint the Transitus Dei based on the statute found by Dr. Wilhem Gurlitt at I mithräum in Ptuj in 1899. I think that a painting by you would make it more meaningful than a marble statute.
The people of Dieburg must appreciate your work in honoring an important event in the history of the city.
[...] I think your artistic style resembles to some degree the painters of the Italian mithrea at St. Prisca in Rome, at Marino, and St Maria Capua Vetere.
[...] The idea that most attracts me to Mithraism is its belief in the brotherhood of man across racial and class lines. The second idea of importance is the deity's offering salvation for the human soul.

Accompanying Catalogues and DVD

Catalolgue: 'zum Beispiel Mithras Teil 2' in Dieburg

The accompanying catalogue contains the main four acrylic paintings in color. The images 'Mithras slays the Bull' and 'the Wind' are printed as small posters extending over three pages. The text ist in German. The publication is listed online in the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek at this location.

Catalolgue: 'zum Beispiel Mithras Teil 1' in Frankfurt am Main

The catalogue of the first exhibition: FOR EXAMPLE MITHRAS PART ONE. The texts are in German.

Catalolgue: 'zum Beispiel Mithras', the Objects of PART 1 and an introduction by Dr. Payam Nabarz

Supplementary calatogue of the first exhibition: FOR EXAMPLE MITHRAS PART ONE presenting the installations and objects, with an introduction by Dr. Payam Nabarz. The text is translated into German, the English original can be provided.