Lohrasb Bayat | "—": Dastan's Basement

5 - 13 August 2016 The Basement
Overview

A solo exhibition of works by Lohrasb Bayat at Dastan's Basement

Works
Installation Views
Press release

Disclaimer: The artist, Lohrasb Bayat, and the gallery, Dastan, state that they strongly condemn all forms of terrorism and stand together in solidarity and sorrow with all victims of terrorism anywhere in the world. The works in this exhibition represent deep criticism of terrorists and terrorism.

 

Dastan’s Basement is pleased to announce the opening of Lohrasb Bayat’s solo exhibition entitled “—” on August 5, 2016. The exhibition will be open for public viewing through August 13. As part of Dastan’s planning for a number of collaborative projects, this show is the first part of a two-part exhibition at the Basement. Amir Mohammadzadeh’s “Positive” will follow, opening on August 19.
This is both artists’ first solo exhibitions at the Basement. Lohrasb Bayat’s works have been previously shown in a Dastan Outside the Basement project in Sam Art. Amir Mohammadzadeh’s work was exhibited in “White” at the Basement.
While presenting two very different images, both artists have an inductive approach towards creating their works, starting with singular elements that eventually make up the work as a whole. Their technique consists of crosshatches with extra-fine details, while their methodical perspectives command distortions in their images, creating seemingly polar opposites —yet almost identical traces of their material can be found on the paper.
The works in this series are created using sketch markers. These markers, while increasing the latitude for creating finer details, maximize the risk of error, with true care needed for completing each work immaculately —referring also to the subject matter and the delicate approach towards portraying judgement, urging the viewer that even a slight mistake can lead to extreme violence.
Lohrasb Bayat has used his own staged photographs, images from news websites, newspapers and other media, as bases for his paintings. His works focus on the relationship between the guard and the prisoner, describing it as a “close relationship”. Lohrasb Bayat has put the characters in a “domestic” atmosphere where they are sometimes wearing casual clothing. He has also staged himself both as the dominant and the dominated, playing on ideas of violence, perspective, judgement and ideology. Lohrasb Bayat’s works show a study into the notorious micro-culture of terrorists in today’s historical context.