Middle East & Africa

Reza Aramesh

Action: 170

2016

Reza Aramesh, Action: 170, 2016.

In this series of works by Reza Aramesh, the photographed plaster heads, set against the idyllic landscapes of the south of UK, subvert the process of image production and memory. Based on photographic sources from journalism, they have preserved a ‘memento mori’ in the intimate form of a sculpture, yet derived from a source which is not only public but also voyeuristic. They have been entirely dislocated from their original context, and transferred to the realm of photography again, into fragile silver gelatin prints. In this process, Reza Aramesh has expanded our consciousness of death and the body from the public spectacle of torture, towards a place which is sublime and unreachable, where the meaning of violence has been not transformed, but rather temporarily suspended.

Working across a wide range of materials and processes, Aramesh examines simultaneously the history of Western art and contemporary commentary on the politics and history of the Middle East, concocting a unique visual language to address the contemporary conditions of violence and bio-politics. Earlier solo exhibitions include Ab-Abnar, Leila Heller Gallery (New York), Isabelle Van den Eynde (Dubai), among others. His work has been showcased in many international group shows, including ICA (London), Goodman Gallery (Cape Town), Goethe Institute Brussels, Frieze Sculpture Park, Tate Britain and most recently, “The Great Game”, Pavilion of Iran at the 56th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale de Venezia.

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Reza Aramesh Action: 170

Reza Aramesh

Action: 170