Sahand Hesamiyan | "Tavizeh": Dastan's Basement
Curated by Fereydoun Ave
THE FOURTH DIMENSION LIGHT PIERCING DARKNESS
Having followed Sahand Hesamian's works for the past eight or so years, I feel that on the occasion of his solo show of a monumental work and works on paper (limited edition prints) at Dastan’s Basement gallery, it would be a good time to compliment this exhibition with a mini - retrospective of his models and prototypes. Since he has a considerable body of work behind him and is no longer an emerging artist, but a fully fledged one. I don’t call his work “sculpture”, because by definition he does not sculpt. He has passed from 3 dimensional work to the 4th dimension, where the work embraces and surrounds the viewer (like Richard Serra, Sia Armajani, and Christo etc.) Looking at Sahand's works, islamic geometry immediately comes to mind, but for me it is a playful macho improvisation on childhood impression of visiting buildings in the south of Iran and the mystery and the ritual of being surrounded and engulfed by darkness pierced by light and the discovery of mysterious space and the transformation of it into volumes of geometric shapes. I am very pleased to be curating Sahand's first “wholistic” exhibition in Tehran and hope it will inspire visionary collectors and patrons to realize his prototypes and models in the scale he dreams; monumental and 4 dimensional.
FEREYDOUN AVE, MAY 2015
A large part of my practice and conceptual concerns explore the relationship between Iranian architecture and crafts, and their significant spiritual symbolism. In doing so, I aspire to present geometry as sculpture itself, giving an independent structure to that which has been traditionally trapped on to the surface of others. Using geometrical forms reminiscent of Persian architectural elements and ornamentations I hope to engage the viewer with the historical past; connecting them to the origins while reproposing it in a new and fresh perspective. For example; the contemporary interpretation of the dome, through the use of innovative mediums such as plexus or UV powder not only gives mutability to the piece, but also explores both the internal and external spaces and presents the multifaceted relationship between modernity and tradition. A further important aspect of my work is its interactivity, which is encouraged by the open structures allowing viewers to physically engage with the forms and space surrounding it that goes against traditional Iranian Islamic architecture: often introverted and recondite. The aspiration is to extract and sculpt these simple and eye-catching geometrical harmonies presenting geometry as sculpture; allowing the inscrutable to be accessed and admired for all its intricacies and grandiosity. The purpose of following this method of expression is to discover new forms and variations (with very simple structures and components), as well as to present a contemporary interpretation of traditional Iranian geometrical shapes.
SAHAND HESAMIYAN, MAY 2015
Dastan is pleased to announce Sahand Hesamiyan’s exhibitions titled “ٔFrame of Reference” at Sam Art and “Tavizeh” at the Basement. These exhibitions are curated by Fereydoun Ave and will begin on May 8, 2015 and continue until May 22.
At Sam Art, the artist’s paper maquettes and prototypes are presented in the manner that one can view at his workshop and a single large-scale steel piece is on view at the Basement.
Sahand Hesamiyan who grew up in Bushehr was born in 1977 in Tehran. His “site specific” works can be viewed in different parts of Tehran. He was among the finalists of “Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize” and his works are currently on view at the Venice Biennial 2015 at the Iranian Pavillon.
