FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PORTAL II: EXHIBITION PRESENT WORKS THAT ILLUMINATE NEW MEANING IN EVERYDAY OBJECTS, OFFERS POETIC PERCEPTIONS OF THE WORLD
Najafi Companies’ Unique Exhibition Series Supports Contemporary Art in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona (November 9, 2006) – Najafi Companies, the largest private equity firm in Arizona with more than $1.1 billion in assets, today announced PORTAL II, the second installment of the PORTAL art exhibition series in its corporate offices located at 2525 E. Camelback Road.
The PORTAL exhibition series is organized by the curatorial team at Arizona State University (ASU) Art Museum and features works by a variety of artists – generally linked with the museum’s programming calendar – showcased in six month intervals. PORTAL is a unique exhibition program to support the arts in Phoenix.
“The exhibition series has introduced ASU Art Museum and its programs to a new audience. Programs like PORTAL are also a vital part of the cultural infrastructure of our city supporting art, artists and the part they play in our working and daily lives,” says Marilyn Zeitlin, head curator of the PORTAL exhibition series and director of Arizona State University Art Museum. “We are pleased to have the generous support and investment from Najafi Companies to make programs like this possible.”
“PORTAL has not only contributed to a more creative and engaging work environment here but has encouraged interest in contemporary art among employees and visitors to our offices,” says Jerry Pence, a partner at Najafi Companies.
PORTAL II will showcase works by Marie Navarre, Maurizio Pellegrin and Chema Madoz, three artists who have a poetic perception of the world, and whose works uncover unexpected connectedness in every day objects, allowing them to collide and illuminate new meaning.
Marie Navarre is an artist from Phoenix whose photography-based images are an exploration of how ideas of time and eternity, and systems of knowledge affect human experiences and give meaning to our existence. “One reviewer described her work as ‘a serene code of relations,’” says Lisa Sette, owner of Scottsdale-based Lisa Sette Gallery who represents Ms. Navarre, Mr. Pellegrin and Mr. Madoz.
Maurizio Pellegrin of Venice, Italy is an avid collector of objects – often antiques – and utilizes a symbolic code of number in his installations. He melds early 20th century romanticism with 21st century irony.
Chema Madoz is from Madrid, Spain. His works link seemingly disparate objects to form new concepts via photography. He individualizes, disrupts, confronts and manipulates common objects until he is able to show a new order, a new symbolic truth that by its impact highlights the disorder
About Najafi Companies
Najafi Companies is a private investment firm based in Phoenix, Arizona. The firm makes highly-selective investments up to $2 billion in size in companies with strong management teams across a variety of industries, and often in industries out of popular favor. The firm takes a long-term view on its investments and focuses its efforts to create value through growth and superior performance. Najafi Companies funds investments with its principals’ capital, not through a fund. Free from the restrictions of a fund, the firm is able to move quickly and decisively when investing, and with no requirements to return capital to outside partners, Najafi Companies is able to make investments that create maximum value for the long term. For more information about Najafi Companies, visit www.najafi.com.
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The Lavidge Company
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The Lavidge Company
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