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Lot Essay
The present work Stack 4 is cast in bronze, with gold leaf. Through his recent work, Armenian-born Zadik Zadikian evokes the famous gold brick episode that happened in Tehran in 1978.
In the 1970s, Tony Shafrazi who became famous for his graffiti attack on Picasso's Guernica, opened an exhibition space in Tehran. The first (and only) exhibition was Gold Bricks, which showcased Zadikian's original stack brick pieces. However, in October 1978, Shah's regime was about to fall and the date of the opening coincided with the advent of the Islamic revolution. The event was thus accompanied by strikes and rioting during which the pieces were all ransacked, as they were thought to be bars of bullion. All that remains today of this unfortunate event is the invitation to the opening.
More recently in 2005, for the The Smiles are not Smiles exhibition project, the conceptual artist Michael Stevenson recreated the Gold Bricks in an installation which was reminiscent of the gallery space in Tehran and based on the events that took place in 1978. Zadik Zadikian's Stack 4 has thus survived throughout the years and is undoubtedly an art historical artwork.
In the 1970s, Tony Shafrazi who became famous for his graffiti attack on Picasso's Guernica, opened an exhibition space in Tehran. The first (and only) exhibition was Gold Bricks, which showcased Zadikian's original stack brick pieces. However, in October 1978, Shah's regime was about to fall and the date of the opening coincided with the advent of the Islamic revolution. The event was thus accompanied by strikes and rioting during which the pieces were all ransacked, as they were thought to be bars of bullion. All that remains today of this unfortunate event is the invitation to the opening.
More recently in 2005, for the The Smiles are not Smiles exhibition project, the conceptual artist Michael Stevenson recreated the Gold Bricks in an installation which was reminiscent of the gallery space in Tehran and based on the events that took place in 1978. Zadik Zadikian's Stack 4 has thus survived throughout the years and is undoubtedly an art historical artwork.