Press Release
For its inaugural exhibition, O Gallery is pleased to present a selection of works on paper by Omid Moshksar (b.1972, Shiraz). Characterized by spontaneity, these ink on cardboards have been made with multiple layers in relatively long periods of time to further establish the course of creation into a live and curious practice. Now and again, a work reaches its final point through months or even years of revisions, comparatively distancing them from routine drawings, which in fact is an inner desire and a necessity in Moshksar’s works. The power of black ink against the fragility of white paper, stamps a sense of presence in his drawings that expresses his story more specifically and with more details. But what is Moshksar’s story? Similar to many in his generation, he has lived through revolution, war, postwar life and migration. All of these experiences have set such an ambiance for the artist that after all these years; the still remain his main source of inspiration. Reminiscent of what he and those in his surrounding have experienced (regardless of individual circumstances), his works also signify a sense of pursuit and association to those memories. Human figures mainly clothed in country attire in allegorical and excluded contexts, portrayed as doing ordinary, daily and familiar chores play a dominant role in his works. However common though, these acts seem essentially bizarre and ceremonious. What adds to the ambiguity and elusiveness of these timeless and placeless plots is the association between humans, objects, plants and animals. A branch in a girl’s hand, a piece of paper either read or seen with a design on it, a sword that its blade is buried under a belt and its handle, a spoon … all and all are secrets and mysteries that the viewer is unable to interpret. In his work, Moshksar constantly repeats the vicious cycle of modern man’s relationships, though his presence on the edge of this ambiguity and certainty seems conscious.
Selected Works
