Art Basel Hong Kong 2025: Group Presentation

Reza Aramesh was born in Iran and is based in London and New York. He holds a Masters degree in Fine Arts from Goldsmiths University, London. His work has been exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions such as in the occasion of the 60th Venice Biennale 2024, Italy 14 and 15 Bienal de la Habana, Asia Society Museum, New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Breuer, New York, Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Maine, SCAD Museum, Atlanta, Georgia, Akademie der Kunste, Berlin, the 56th Venice Biennale, Art Basel Parcours, Frieze Sculpture Park, London, Sculpture in the City, London, Armory Show Off-Site at Collect Pond Park, New York and at Maxxi Museum, Rome among others. Aramesh has orchestrated a number of performances and situations in such spaces as The Barbican Centre, Tate Britain and ICA, London. His works have entered public and private collections worldwide including Argentina, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, USA, Belgium, Israel, France, Iran, Lebanon, Italy and the U.K.Working in sculpture, drawing, embroidery, ceramics, video and performance in a succession of ‘actions’, Reza Aramesh draws inspiration from media coverage of international conflicts dating from the mid-20th century until present day. This coverage is then transformed into sculptural volumes in collaboration with non-professional models, who help him reenact his chosen source materials. No direct signs of war remain in the physical end results and the characters seem driven out of their initial contexts. Opposition between beauty and brutality allows the artist to unveil the absurdity and the futility of these actions. Aramesh de-contextualises these scenes of violence from their origins, exploring the narratives of representation and iconography of the subjected male body in the context of race, class and sexuality in order to create a critical conversation with the western art historical canon.

Bita Fayyazi (b. 1962, Tehran) lives and works in Tehran. More than a sculptor, an installation artist, or a ceramicist engaged in some mystic relationship with her material, Fayyazi is an artist who works within a more performative and markedly social practice.
Fayyazi has been active in art for around 30 years. As her involvement in art developed, she became interested in teamwork and collaboration. She actively engages in collaborative and performative projects with artists and individuals with no artistic backgrounds. By embracing such interactions, she explores the power of shared creativity, fostering meaningful connections and broadening the boundaries of artistic expression. Throughout the years, working together with others has become an integral and cherished part of her practice. This approach has shown to be more valuable, often surpassing the outcome itself.