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Lot Essay
‘I see myself in a position where I’m picking up on popular culture. Repackaging it and showing it in a white box.’ (the artist quoted in D. Nasser-Khadivi, Farhad Moshiri, Life is Beautiful, Milan 2016, p. 24)
'The thought of painting probably the first object ever made by man amused me. Here I was painting simple bowls and jars from a million years ago while other artists were using cutting edge technology to produce work. It felt like I was going in the wrong direction and somehow it felt good.' (The artist in conversation with Dr. Maryam Ekhtiar, September 2015; quoted Nasser-Khadivi, ibid. p. 108)
In addition to the jars he has created, he works on paintings of terracotta bowls, an outstanding example of which is the present lot, titled Floating Bowl (2006). Using different materials such as acrylic, oil and tempera paints, mixed with glue and glaze, Moshiri achieves a crackled look that is most likely created because of the chemical reaction of the aforementioned materials when he rolls the canvases. ‘The texture of the paintings resembles the crackled ice glaze, reflecting the artist’s appreciation of unglazed or naturally glazed stoneware vessels; a texture reminiscent of old pieces in the monochrome ceramic tradition that flourished in ancient Iran’ (R. Issa, ‘Farhad Moshiri: Reservoirs of Memories’ Leighton House Museum, London, 2003, cited in Nasser-Khadivi, ibid., p. 112).
‘The thought of painting probably the first object ever made by man amused me. Here I was painting simple bowls and jars from a million years ago while other artists were using cutting edge technology to produce work. It felt like I was going in the wrong direction and somehow it felt good.’
(The artist in conversation with Dr. Maryam Ekhtiar, September 2015; quoted Nasser-Khadivi, ibid., p. 108)
Pushing the boundaries of painterly practice, Farhad Moshiri explores material culture and is never afraid to take risks. Born in Shiraz in 1963, Moshiri’s work is embedded in the study of Pop art with subtleties of sociopolitical observations. During his time studying Fine Arts at the California Institute of the Arts, where he had lived since he was ten years old, he began investigating different mediums such as video art, installations, and painting. He graduated with a Masters in Fine Arts in 1984, and returned to Tehran in 1991 where he experimented Western and Eastern art fusions. Coming back to Iran was in some ways a culture shock for Moshiri, he felt like ‘an outsider but not a foreigner’ (the artist quoted in Nasser-Khadivi, ibid., p. 22). Using different materials ranging from everyday objects to luxurious items such as pearls and crystals, Moshiri addresses the flaws of contemporary Iran while simultaneously plays with ideas of traditional forms. His work covers conceptual and picturesque elements from Eastern and Western art and allows them to co-exist in a universe using both painting and sculpture.
Mastering the art of merging East and West, Moshiri has created a crossbreed semantic, painterly language that touched the diffusion of Iranian community. Leaning towards a Neo-Geometric Conceptualism style, he would attest that just because he had left Iran, does not mean he is not allowed to make work ‘criticizing a country he had fled’ (F. McHugh, Artist’s Journey of Rediscovery, South China Morning Post 2013). However, his work was not necessarily critical of Iran, but was actually a way in which he was trying to reacquaint himself with his homeland. Endeavoring to confront the post-war environment of Iran, he ‘…found a cornucopia of materials that have become [his] palette. They are [his] paint. They’re even more valid than paint’ (the artist quoted in Nasser-Khadivi, ibid., p. 24).
The thought provoking works of Moshiri are disconcerting while simultaneously have a feeling of balance. Defining Iranian plastic arts, he plays with objects from daily life giving them importance and presenting them in a dreamlike state, epitomised by the two present lots in this sale. However, the jars are the only subject that the artist identifies with. By combining painting and sculpture, Moshiri expands the dynamics of his oeuvre. Incorporating elements of sculpture in his paintings and vice versa, he is able to communicate a sense of twisted fascination. In many of his pieces, he invites the audience to come closer, inviting them into an intimate space in the paradox that is his mind.
Moshiri is best known for his paintings of monumental jars as well as paintings of terracotta bowls, an outstanding example of which is the present lot, titled Floating Bowl (2006). Using different materials such as acrylic, oil and tempera paints, mixed with glue and glaze, Moshiri achieves a crackled look that is most likely created because of the chemical reaction of the aforementioned materials when he rolls the canvases. ‘The texture of the paintings resembles the crackled ice glaze, reflecting the artist’s appreciation of unglazed or naturally glazed stoneware vessels; a texture reminiscent of old pieces in the monochrome ceramic tradition that flourished in ancient Iran’ (R. Issa, ‘Farhad Moshiri: Reservoirs of Memories’ Leighton House Museum, London, 2003, cited in Nasser-Khadivi, ibid., p. 112).
'The thought of painting probably the first object ever made by man amused me. Here I was painting simple bowls and jars from a million years ago while other artists were using cutting edge technology to produce work. It felt like I was going in the wrong direction and somehow it felt good.' (The artist in conversation with Dr. Maryam Ekhtiar, September 2015; quoted Nasser-Khadivi, ibid. p. 108)
In addition to the jars he has created, he works on paintings of terracotta bowls, an outstanding example of which is the present lot, titled Floating Bowl (2006). Using different materials such as acrylic, oil and tempera paints, mixed with glue and glaze, Moshiri achieves a crackled look that is most likely created because of the chemical reaction of the aforementioned materials when he rolls the canvases. ‘The texture of the paintings resembles the crackled ice glaze, reflecting the artist’s appreciation of unglazed or naturally glazed stoneware vessels; a texture reminiscent of old pieces in the monochrome ceramic tradition that flourished in ancient Iran’ (R. Issa, ‘Farhad Moshiri: Reservoirs of Memories’ Leighton House Museum, London, 2003, cited in Nasser-Khadivi, ibid., p. 112).
‘The thought of painting probably the first object ever made by man amused me. Here I was painting simple bowls and jars from a million years ago while other artists were using cutting edge technology to produce work. It felt like I was going in the wrong direction and somehow it felt good.’
(The artist in conversation with Dr. Maryam Ekhtiar, September 2015; quoted Nasser-Khadivi, ibid., p. 108)
Pushing the boundaries of painterly practice, Farhad Moshiri explores material culture and is never afraid to take risks. Born in Shiraz in 1963, Moshiri’s work is embedded in the study of Pop art with subtleties of sociopolitical observations. During his time studying Fine Arts at the California Institute of the Arts, where he had lived since he was ten years old, he began investigating different mediums such as video art, installations, and painting. He graduated with a Masters in Fine Arts in 1984, and returned to Tehran in 1991 where he experimented Western and Eastern art fusions. Coming back to Iran was in some ways a culture shock for Moshiri, he felt like ‘an outsider but not a foreigner’ (the artist quoted in Nasser-Khadivi, ibid., p. 22). Using different materials ranging from everyday objects to luxurious items such as pearls and crystals, Moshiri addresses the flaws of contemporary Iran while simultaneously plays with ideas of traditional forms. His work covers conceptual and picturesque elements from Eastern and Western art and allows them to co-exist in a universe using both painting and sculpture.
Mastering the art of merging East and West, Moshiri has created a crossbreed semantic, painterly language that touched the diffusion of Iranian community. Leaning towards a Neo-Geometric Conceptualism style, he would attest that just because he had left Iran, does not mean he is not allowed to make work ‘criticizing a country he had fled’ (F. McHugh, Artist’s Journey of Rediscovery, South China Morning Post 2013). However, his work was not necessarily critical of Iran, but was actually a way in which he was trying to reacquaint himself with his homeland. Endeavoring to confront the post-war environment of Iran, he ‘…found a cornucopia of materials that have become [his] palette. They are [his] paint. They’re even more valid than paint’ (the artist quoted in Nasser-Khadivi, ibid., p. 24).
The thought provoking works of Moshiri are disconcerting while simultaneously have a feeling of balance. Defining Iranian plastic arts, he plays with objects from daily life giving them importance and presenting them in a dreamlike state, epitomised by the two present lots in this sale. However, the jars are the only subject that the artist identifies with. By combining painting and sculpture, Moshiri expands the dynamics of his oeuvre. Incorporating elements of sculpture in his paintings and vice versa, he is able to communicate a sense of twisted fascination. In many of his pieces, he invites the audience to come closer, inviting them into an intimate space in the paradox that is his mind.
Moshiri is best known for his paintings of monumental jars as well as paintings of terracotta bowls, an outstanding example of which is the present lot, titled Floating Bowl (2006). Using different materials such as acrylic, oil and tempera paints, mixed with glue and glaze, Moshiri achieves a crackled look that is most likely created because of the chemical reaction of the aforementioned materials when he rolls the canvases. ‘The texture of the paintings resembles the crackled ice glaze, reflecting the artist’s appreciation of unglazed or naturally glazed stoneware vessels; a texture reminiscent of old pieces in the monochrome ceramic tradition that flourished in ancient Iran’ (R. Issa, ‘Farhad Moshiri: Reservoirs of Memories’ Leighton House Museum, London, 2003, cited in Nasser-Khadivi, ibid., p. 112).