Mahmoud Saleh Mohammadi
Inscription #08
2021

About the Item

Starting with inspiration from the visible world around him, Saleh Mohammadi reaches beyond the tangible and reproduces his own mind's eye. Geometric shapes with a reference to the universal language of mathematics create a peaceful whole, conveying a moral and spiritual dimension. The meaning of the artwork is open to the viewer's imagination, allowing everybody to see what's not physically visible from the start. His paintings have a dominant expressive function, as he paints what he feels. Their calm beauty creates a sense of visible freedom and peace of mind for both artist and viewer, carrying a strong reference to finding pleasure in the everyday life. The inscriptions referred to by this title are the Middle Persian texts carved, incised or engraved on durable materials like stone and metal. They were public messages intended to be permanent. Opposite to these perpetual inscriptions were ancient manuscripts. They were written on less resistant materials like leather, papyrus, bast or paper and primarily of administrative, juridical, economic, private, religious or literary character. Middle Persian or Pahlavi (ca. 450 BCE-650 CE) is the literary language of the Sasanian Empire (ca. 205 – 651 CE). It functioned as a prestige language and is the linguistic ancestor of Modern Persian, the official language of Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The inscriptions being one ground for inspiration for this series, the iconography of antique, handmade carpets being the other. Running as a thread throughout his artistic practice is the artists' reference to his own culture of origin, his safe space to always be able to go back to and rely upon. These carpets are nicknamed portable gardens, for their floral and geometrical iconography firstly, secondly for the Persian nomads from the sixth century on, took them everywhere they went for various usances. In this Inscription-series, they form the metaphor for human history; the tapestries are strong, creating strong artworks by every manipulation (even being merely inspiration) the artist performs. With his Inscription-series, he mixes the above explained historical, arbitrary but clear distinction between temporary and permanent functions of inscriptions on a visual, contemporary level, referring to his roots as a base and making it personal at the same time. By juxtaposing the contemporary with the classical, Saleh Mohammadi innovates traditional techniques and puts his own unique spin on the ancient concept and iconography. He inscribes an eternal impression by using unavoidably provisionally materials. The contemporary twist comes from the materials used; gold leaf, acrylic paint and canvas, embellished with calligraphic elements made of gold, turning to his history of origin, symbols and signs that result in abstract forms. Responding to the past is equally important as responding to the present, the importance of an all-round knowledge and recognition highlights the profoundity and strength of the artworks in this series. Referring to the past gives us a better and fundamental understanding of the present, visualised here by the artist as a translation of his own journey and thoughts.

Creator:

Mahmoud Saleh Mohammadi (1979, Italian, Iranian)

Creation Year:

2021

Dimensions:

Height: 39.38 in (100 cm)Width: 27.56 in (70 cm)

Medium:

Gesso,Textile

Movement & Style:

Abstract Geometric

Period:

2010-