NOW AND TEN

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AFRUZ AMIGHI
(IRANIAN, B. 1974)
Nameless
steel, mosquito netting, wenge, invisible thread and ultra-suede
variable dimensions; 168 x 132 x 96in. (427 x 335 x 245cm.)
Executed in 2014
US$80,000-120,000
AED300,000-440,000
PROVENANCE:
Leila Heller Gallery, New York/Dubai.
Christie’s is delighted to present the work of
compelling Iranian artist Afruz Amighi. Renowned
for the intricacy of her creative process, she
masterfully constructs profound installation pieces
whose multi-faceted nature play on the brilliance
of light and delicate materials such as mosquito
netting, wenge, invisible thread and ultra-suede.
With an oeuvre unlike that of any other Middle
Eastern artist, she is renowned for her incredibly
dexterous and delicately intricate works. The
delicate craftsmanship that goes into each one of
her works of art is displayed by the versatile use of
media. Her intricate compositions rely on the visual
imagery of Islam. Having been awarded the Jameel
Prize in 2009, her installations have become
globally respected monuments of creativity.
Through a practice which looks to enhance the
spirituality and beauty of her cultural heritage, the
artist eschews the associated violence of Middle
Eastern confict in favour of beautiful fragility. By
tackling this subject matter through the optical
intrigue of light and shadow, she transforms one’s
viewing experience and invites them to interact
with the work itself in the physical space that is
created. With works of art that are truly unlike
that of any other artist, she formulates originality
and complexity through the most simple, yet most
delicate and almost jewel-like, material elements.
As a native Iranian raised in New York City, Amighi
considers herself to be one of the many individuals
whose artistic methodology is informed by her
hybridised cultural background. With the profound
infuence of East and West, the dichotomy of her
cultural roots caused her to be part of the unique,
multi-cultural generation that is becoming everprevalent
around the world. This cross-cultural
dialogue is essential to her artwork, the richness
of the Islamic and Persian imagery in conversation
with the large-scale contemporaneity that is
associated to the installation art of the Western
is fascinating. Rooted in geometrical patterns and
arabesques, she draws on the decorative imagery
and iconography of the Middle East to guide the
delicacy of her designs. Her works negate the
fgural form and representational subject matter
in favour of rich symbolic meaning. Making it a
point to not classify her works to a particular stem
of meaning, she does not see herself as portraying
a radical artistic message, nor does she classify
herself into the categories of other Middle Eastern
artists who adopted a great deal of war-based
imagery into their oeuvre.
Yielding an irreplaceably singular experience, the
multi-faceted nature of her works do not distract
from the overall power of the visual phenomena
she creates. The work harmonises hanging lanternlike
artifacts with erected foor-based pieces at
numerous and variable lengths, scales and
distances from each other, creating a fascinating
visual diversity. The tiered hanging pieces which
take the form of both conical and triangular
shapes delicately descend from the ceiling with an
undeniable weightlessness. As elegant chandeliers,
their monochromatic colour exudes a beautiful
simplicity. Enhanced by their singular mediums, the
ability to see through these beautiful shapes and
the transparency efect that is created enhance the
inherent fragility of the work.
Armed with a beautiful spirituality, her richly
symbolic works draw inspiration from her
fascination with Iranian culture. Having seen
the extensive and intricate use of decorative
glass and mosaic tile in Tehran, she often uses
these materials as the foundation for her artistic
productions. By placing works facing both
upwards and downwards, the sense of space
that is created as these works enter the viewer’s
environment creates a truly overwhelming bodily
experience. Being surrounded by these works, they
can be interpreted at any angle, providing unique
visual perspectives as they enter our physical
space. By walking around, inside and out of the
installation, the viewer takes part in the installation
and becomes an integral part of it. This ability to
establish a new viewing experience is paramount
for Amighi’s work.
Alongside her intricate material production,
the visual marvel that is created purely by the
introduction of light into her works creates a
melodious result. Adding a new dimensionality
to the viewing experience, physical structures are
complimented by the dynamism of the interplay
of light. While the majority of artist’s rely on
the literal qualities of their artistic practice to
inform their audiences, Amighi relies on more
than just the surface texture of her works to craft
their desired visual message. The unpredictability
of the light and the dance it creates on its
surrounding environment adds a beautiful sense
of the unknown; it is this very lack of predictability
which makes this artwork so unique. Through the
masterful creation of individual three-dimensional
objects, each element operates as a beautiful
piece of art in its own right, while together they
create a dazzling installation piece. By the visceral
unity of her fne and fragile materials and light, the
materials compliment each other to play on our
optical perspective. By pushing the boundaries of
visual illusions, Amighi’s sensitivity to material and
pattern separate her from the majority of Middle
Eastern artists, placing her at the forefront of the
contemporary art.
‘I became fascinated with the way in which places
of worship had been transformed over time to serve
diferent religions … I was interested in the traces
that each left upon the other and how in the end
an ‘inbetween’ space was created…. As I began
researching shrines across Europe, I found that
most were sites that, like Russian nesting dolls,
contained shrines within shrines within shrines,
dating back to the Roman era…During the time that
I was building the framework for this installation…
I witnessed a traumatic incident when coming
home from my studio in Brooklyn. Just a few feet
away from me I heard a loud crash and then the
squeal of tires. I turned and saw a young man
lying unconscious in the street. The car that had
mowed him down on his bicycle had fed the
scene. The young man died later that day at the
hospital. I called the piece “Nameless” to honour
an overlooked historical period and tendency, as
well as a young man whose name I never learned.’
(The artist in conversation about the present work).
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