Soleil d’Or

Massoud Arabshahi sources his inspirations from Achaemenid and Assyrian art, as well as Babylonian carvings and inscriptions. By combining motifs from these seemingly different cultures with those of modern abstractions, Arabshahi is able to create a composition that pushes two and three dimensional boundaries. He questions language being the sole means of expression and there is a clear and deliberate thoughtful application of motifs resulting from careful studies of Persian and Islamic art history.

In the present piece, Soleil d’Or, the artist uses an earth tone palette, along with a subtle use of gold leaf to prove his respect for and inspiration by nature. By employing symbols juxtaposed with geometrical symbols such as circles, squares, curves and spirals, he becomes an officiate of the marriage between tradition and modernity. Applying a cosmic spatial equilibrium, expressing movement and radiance, Massoud Arabshahi combines his search for meaning and direction in today's art world with his continuous urge to question the beliefs and symbols of ancient Persia's iconology and visual vocabulary. His work is unique and rare, as are his ideas and outtake on what the Middle East historically.

Arabshahi is known for using celestial symbols in his work. The circle represents the universe, in its wholeness and perfection. In Islamic art the circle represents the vaulted sky and divine light; the square manifests the earth and perfect stability. A square inside a circle or a circle inside a square represents a transformation of the spherical form of the sky on a rectangular Earth or vice versa. He reinterprets these ancient symbols and applies them within a modern context. In Islam, these symbols often signify the union of all states of being, sublime identity and horizontal and vertical expansion. The vertical line is the embodiment of celestial, spiritual, subjective, positive and active feature, whereas the horizontal line demonstrates earthly, logical, passive and negative aspects.