Orgamblages

The present sculpture exhibition marks a turning point in Amir Mobed’s artistic practice, which had long been identified with large indoor and outdoor installations and environmental pieces, both temporary and permanent. These new pieces, however, demonstrate his previous experiences in their various, unconventional materials as well as social and psychological concerns.

The new sculptures are rich in metaphorical content and diverse in form: erect, prone or hanging assemblages made up of wood, iron, ceramic and hair. They are Organic structures full of spikes, ruptures and holes, combining rectilinear and curvilinear forms in unexpected ways, and enlivened by appendages like hair and color. Their ironic, critical nature is emphasized by their titles.

These pieces challenge the clichés of sexual attraction as well as conventional criteria of beauty in art making. This critical stance also addresses the Iranian contemporary art scene, including the artist’s previous practice and his own beliefs and hesitations.

The new pieces may, however, been perceived as the outgrowth and further development of Mobed’s previous artistic phases. His familiarity with such diverse materials as plaster, rusted and painted iron, candles, ice, flowers, fruit and hair, has given way to a more material diversity, and his socio-political tendencies in preceding conceptual works has granted these pieces with a fresh satirical character. 

Criticizing the criteria of attraction, questioning the procedure of art making and challenging the established aesthetics in sculpture, are some traceable issues in this new series. This critic also deals with the artist’s own entire career, including this very series. The result oscillates between the destructive doubt and the powerful, construction -oriented belief.