Press Release
O Gallery presents “Annotations for Laili” a collection of photographs by Matin Abedi (b. 1989 Isfahan).
The collection on display is an inner reference to a very old and strong desire: the artist's obsession with wildflowers from her earliest memories, followed by a fusion of mysticism in the literary aspect and how she reflects on her existence.
The desert mesmerizes her as something that doesn’t unfurl. She believes that the desert is so prolific and so complete that it does not open up to the eyes of most. The desert is itself very exposed but at the same time is the place of conduct, revelation and light and the place of the most hidden events within. In the eyes of the beholder, the desert is unexpectedly generous and benevolent; it gives Moses light and refuges Majnoon with open arms.
Based on this understanding and view, instead of taking photographs while she is amongst flowers, Abedi collects the thorns of the desert as the flowers of the garden and brings them to her studio to photograph. She turns these thorns to symbols of the obscure unfurl of the desert, suspended in black, thorns that seem to be annotations for a text that cannot be read; a text that has always been obnubilated except for a few.
Selected Works
