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Lot Essay
'A constant element of my work is the significance of repetition, process and time. In works comprised of paper scrolls, individual strips of paper have been marked with the word 'eshgh', both hand-written and printed in Farsi. While the most direct translation of 'eshgh' to English is 'love' its expressive power is 'passion.' I chose this word because it encompasses my longing and search for acceptance and understanding. The repetition of text, in particular the word 'eshgh', is a recurring element in much of my work of the last decade. Using concentric forms of text and material I seek to magnify its meaning (...) Concentric forms of text and material also take inspiration from the Sama dance of the whirling dervishes with the resulting work as the physical expression of my awe.' (Hadieh Shafie)
Appearing only once at auction in October 2011, Shafie's works are highly sought-after as they are very rare on the market. Although Shafie was only 14 years old when she immigrated to the United States from Iran, her intricate colourful and multidimensional works pay homage to the rich art and culture of her native country. She expresses her own interpretation to the tradition of calligraphic script and design repetition omnipresent in Persian and Islamic art, design and architecture. The realisation of each work is a painstaking yet fascinating process involving Shafie to delicately paint the edges of multiple strips of paper and to then repeatedly write the Persian word 'eshgh' ('love') on each piece. Once all the strips of paper are dry, Shafie rolls them together to create individual miniature 'ketabs' ('books'). The latter are then carefully displayed next to each other onto the surface without leaving any black space between them, forming a breathtaking composition of bursting colours.
Shafie's works resonate the Sufist meditative prayer of the heart known as 'dikhr', which consists in repeated invocations of a single word. Love is experienced through the heart and through the repetition of the word 'eshgh' on Shafie's strips of paper. Displayed in concentric circles, Shafie therefore invites the viewer to lose himself in the infinity of the scrolls' colours, hence capturing the essence of the 'dhikr'.
Appearing only once at auction in October 2011, Shafie's works are highly sought-after as they are very rare on the market. Although Shafie was only 14 years old when she immigrated to the United States from Iran, her intricate colourful and multidimensional works pay homage to the rich art and culture of her native country. She expresses her own interpretation to the tradition of calligraphic script and design repetition omnipresent in Persian and Islamic art, design and architecture. The realisation of each work is a painstaking yet fascinating process involving Shafie to delicately paint the edges of multiple strips of paper and to then repeatedly write the Persian word 'eshgh' ('love') on each piece. Once all the strips of paper are dry, Shafie rolls them together to create individual miniature 'ketabs' ('books'). The latter are then carefully displayed next to each other onto the surface without leaving any black space between them, forming a breathtaking composition of bursting colours.
Shafie's works resonate the Sufist meditative prayer of the heart known as 'dikhr', which consists in repeated invocations of a single word. Love is experienced through the heart and through the repetition of the word 'eshgh' on Shafie's strips of paper. Displayed in concentric circles, Shafie therefore invites the viewer to lose himself in the infinity of the scrolls' colours, hence capturing the essence of the 'dhikr'.