Press Release
This project is rooted in a study that explores the agency of objects and tools in relation to bodily movement, fundamentally examining the interaction between objects and bodies. The drawings investigate the traces that objects leave in space, whether in collaboration with the hands or independently in motion. Through this process, multiple layers of movement—expressed through lines, surfaces and cuts—overlap, simultaneously revealing different stages of object formation, similar to the preparation of food, in dynamic interaction with one another.
In developing this project, I sought to translate the spontaneity and fluidity of my small sketchbook drawings onto a larger scale. One of the most striking differences between working on rice paper and painting on canvas lies in the potential for layering and transformation. For me, while canvas allows for multiple layers of paint without oversaturation, rice paper, due to its delicacy, requires greater precision and care in execution. Additionally, sketching in a notebook follows a sequential progression as pages turn, whereas working on a single large sheet introduces a fundamentally different spatial and compositional experience.
At a certain point in the process, I found it necessary to shift specific forms and lines within the composition. To do so, I incorporated cutting and pasting, allowing me to remove, reposition and reassemble elements to refine the composition. This approach not only expanded the expressive possibilities of the work but also introduced cutting as an active tool for mark-making. Like drawn lines, the cuts leave traces that engage in dialogue with the drawing’s layers, actively participating in their construction. Moreover, the act of cutting and repositioning sections of the drawing—creating new interactions between lines and cuts—became a means of further exploring of the expressive potential of the emerging abstract forms.
-Minoo Yalsohrabi
April 2025
Selected Works
