Bahar Noorizadeh: The Debtor’s Portal art review – Creativity versus capitalism
The Iranian-Canadian artist’s latest dystopian work is strongly felt but academically executed
Throwing visitors into an unsettling, dystopian environment, The Debtor’s Portal tackles head-on how economic systems shape the world. Fusing finance, digital technology and urban life, it attempts to present alternative solutions to current social constructs. This is the largest UK solo exhibition to date by Iranian-Canadian artist, writer and filmmaker Bahar Noorizadeh. With a practice encompassing sci-fi, political theory, experimental film and collaborative performance, Noorizadeh pits capitalism against creative imagination and a future that could be fairer for all.
The exhibition centres on two main video works, alongside some smaller pieces, as well as work-in-progress ‘Reuter In Tehran’ (2026) which will culminate in a live performance at the end of the exhibition’s run. On the ground floor, ‘Teslaism: Economics After The End Of The End Of The Future’ (2022) greets visitors on a large screen. Taking the form of a videogame, a self-driving car (which chats to its owner) is chauffeuring Tesla CEO Elon Musk to a meeting while crossing a futuristic Berlin landscape where one of his Gigafactories is located. Musk’s inner fears play out while he spouts jargon that even the AI bot doesn’t fully understand.
Upstairs, the financial science-fiction opera ‘Free To Choose’ (2023) plays, surrounded by ten oversized mirrored boards. This surreal CGI film is set in a future Hong Kong, adopting the operatic form and dealing with dramatic events in the wake of an economic crash. Inhabitants are bound by financial systems, serving their company, all the while delivering fantastical and farcical performances.
While The Debtor’s Portal should be commended for exploring serious social and political themes in collaborative, stimulating and inventive ways, the exhibition’s strong rooting in academia tends to overshadow the impact of the visual works.
Bahar Noorizadeh: The Debtor’s Portal, Cooper Gallery, Dundee, until Saturday 11 April.