Ardeshir Tabrizi: The Golden Hands of Time: AF Projects, Los Angeles
ARDESHIR TABRIZI (b.1981, Tehran, Iran) lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. Tabrizi’s hand embroidered textile pieces and multilayered narratives use thread and ink to address the intersection of cultural renewal and historical understanding of heritage in contemporary society. He draws from his background to create works that have a global resonance, transcending immediate cultural references and context.
His artworks are in numerous institutional collections such as the Fowler Museum at UCLA (Los Angeles), Long Beach Museum of Art (Long Beach), The Bunker Artspace (West Palm Beach) and Espacio Tacuari (Buenos Aires). Ardeshir has been selected as one of the artists-in-residence at Kehinde Wiley's Black Rock residency in Senegal in 2024.
Los Angeles, September 26, 2023 – The LA art world is abuzz with anticipation for the fall season and a highlight exhibition in the city is a solo exhibition entitled The Golden Hands of Time. Ardeshir Tabrizi is truly one to watch. AF Projects in Hollywood unveils the most recent body of work comprised of textile-based paintings addressing cultural history and memory. Ardeshir Tabrizi’s work is invested in beauty as well as familial oral history, mythology, meaning, subjectivities that are both personal and political. Deeply embedded in these stunning intricate works are a space in which tradition and innovation coalesce. The work is transcendent conjuring ancient imagery, sacred iconography imbued with an exuberant palette pushing the viewer into the immediate present. The embroidered paintings address the complexities of cultural heritage and identities in an era marked by globalization and interconnectedness. Tabrizi's innovation and mastery rests in the creation of a unique language, a hybridic approach to textile making, silkscreening and painting — conjuring the span of art history from the Renaissance to post-Warholian pop. The artist skillfully weaves together threads of symbolism, nostalgia, and contemporaneity with a sense of earnestness and urgency. The tactility of the work cuts through in our era of the new ready made, in no uncertain terms. The beauty and emotionality of the work are profound. Tabrizi is a unique storyteller and the work speaks loudly to the complexities of modern existence. His ability to take cultural specificity and create work that is universal in tone, temperament and tenor points to the works perfect balance between aesthetic effect and discursive resonance.
“As a Persian artist based in Los Angeles, continued engagement with cultural heritage is an integral part of my practice. Continuing investigations into Persian history also paves the way for an expanded interest in cultural dialogues and narratives beyond my immediate expertise. My work incorporates symbols and imagery that are important to people from various parts of the world, and layers them within one frame. By joining historical icons in my paint and thread-filled landscapes, I create new and expanded meanings for sacred images. I include depictions ranging from Indian miniatures to the Persian lion from Iran’s retired flag to family photographs. Through digital manipulation, painting, and embroidery, I can take this cultural material and create a new object. This act is by no means a political one, but more so one of documentary, humanity, and healing. My latest body of work introduces a new silkscreen technique into my practice, and revisits material and conceptual considerations of my early practice. This includes the incorporation and exploration of religious iconography, and the use of gold and gold leaf. Additionally, I am looking towards the European painting tradition for inspiration and to serve as an extension of the existing dialogue in my work, while continuing to underlie this dialogue with a personal narrative via the use of family and historical imagery.” - ARDESHIR TABRIZI
ABOUT ARDESHIR TABRIZI
ARDESHIR TABRIZI (B.1981, TEHRAN, IRAN) lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. Tabrizi’s hand embroidered textile pieces and multilayered narratives use thread and ink to address the intersection of cultural renewal and historical understanding of heritage in contemporary society. He draws from his background to create works that have a global resonance, transcending immediate cultural references and context. His artworks are in numerous institutional collections such as the Fowler Museum at UCLA (Los Angeles), Long Beach Museum of Art (Long Beach), The Bunker Artspace (West Palm Beach) and Espacio Tacuari (Buenos Aires). Ardeshir has been selected as one of the artists-in-residence at Kehinde Wiley's Black Rock residency in Senegal in 2024.
The exhibition, The Golden Hands of Time. will open September 3 - October 28. AF Projects 7503 Sunset Boulevard Los Angeles California @afprojectsla
Contact JB Bogulski T.213.479.2610 jb@afprojects.com
Ardeshir Tabrizi’s hand-embroidered textile works delve into the intersection of cultural renewal and the historical understanding of heritage in contemporary society. This new body of work represents a personal journey as he seeks to understand his own relationship with a multitude of identities – be they cultural, geographic, or socio-political. Drawing inspiration from oral history, mythology, literature, and his family’s travels, Tabrizi’s work resonates with his personal discovery and reconnection with the ever-evolving social landscape of Iran, both domestically and internationally.
His series of large-scale embroidered paintings stand out due to their intricate layering, borrowed iconography, and narratives derived from Iran's ancient historic books all the way to contemporary events. Rendered on canvas, his process is both labor-intensive and exacting. Pearlescent acrylic ink and airbrush are layered over the canvas to form a base, and fabric is then sewn in to demarcate specific regions. Tabrizi masterfully blends colorful silk thread, hand-embroidered, with machine-sewn patterns, the latter guided by scanned digital files to create a visually stunning overlay.
Tabrizi’s artistry portrays a diverse range of subjects, from still-lifes to mythological figures. Some motifs may seem familiar to observers, reminiscent of symbols often found in Persian rugs. Tabrizi derives these geometric designs from notable geographical regions famed for their Persian carpets: Isfahan (from where his maternal family hails), Tabriz (his paternal family's origin), and Kashan. Furthermore, Iran boasts several "Official National Symbols" that encompass a historic document, flag, emblem, anthem, and even national heroes. Tabrizi offers tribute to several of these symbols, notably the national flag, Varzesh-e-Pahlavāni (traditional wrestling), and the Lion and Sun emblem. He also draws inspiration from the "Book of Kings," a 16th-century miniature crafted by the renowned Iranian artist Riza I-Abbasi, as well as from depictions of everyday domestic activities.