ART CITIES:Paris-Andisheh Avini

Born and raised in New York, Andisheh Avini has remained closely attached to his Persian roots. A recurrent theme in his work is the idea of identity and lack of identity, which stems from his personal standpoint where he embraces two often diverging cultures, Persian and American.

By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Galerie Frank Elbaz Archive

Andisheh Avinii explores the duality of his own identity by combining iconic Iranian images like Persian calligraphy, decorative motifs, and political figures, Minimalism, Abstract Expressionism, and other Art Movements, form the foundation of his oscillations. He approaches a contemporary multicultural experience. In Andisheh Avini’s Installation at Galerie Frank Elbaz in Paris, the artist emphasizes these elements, the gaps between past and present, East and West, Natural and Manmade. On the floor of the the gallery, a bird’s-eye view of Persepolis, the capital of the Achaemenid Empire, spans wall-to-wall. Persepolis is renowned as a gem that ensembles in the fields of architecture, urban planning, construction technology, and art, the royal city of Persepolis ranks among the archaeological sites which have no equivalent and which bear unique witness to a most ancient civilization. From this window onto the past, new sculptures appear to rise to eye-level, approximating the chronological and aesthetic distances from then to now. In each sculpture, the natural textures, colors, and energies of gemstones like: lapis lazuli, amethyst and quartz, coalesce with exacting marquetry. The installation emphasizes the tensions that fuel Avini’s work, the gaps between past and present, East and West, natural and manmade.

Info: Galerie Frank Elbaz, 66 rue de Turenne, Paris, Duration: 20/10-24/12/16, Days & Hours: Tue-Sat 11:00-19:00, www.galeriefrankelbaz.com