ISBN: 9781399923941

Hardcover: 192 pages, 100 illustrations
Language: English

In Creating Objects explores the notion of ‘art object’ in its materiality, and the essence of craftsmanship in the works of two contemporary Iranian – artists Farhad Ahrarnia and Hossein Valamanesh. Ahrarnia’s Khâtam-Kâri (Persian marquetry), handmade carpets, assemblages of everyday objects and used cardboard packages that are embellished by Tazhib, delve into a dual experience between modern life and traditional craftsmanship. Hossein Valamanesh’s use of materials such as branches and leaves woven and placed in an orderly manner or earth, wax and fire implemented in handcrafted objects, delineates a kind of return to the overlooked domain of nature.

Moosavi’s curated approach in this publication is influenced by Jean Baudrillard’s early book, The System of Objects (1968), in which he offers a critique of the commodity in consumer society while revisiting our relationship with the matter. Furthermore, two insightful texts by curator Rose Issa and writer Haleh Anvari contribute to the contextualisation of the artists’ life and work while giving a focused study on the specific use of Farsh in their practice correspondingly.