Farhad Moshiri

Living between Tehran and Paris, Farhad Moshiri has developed a personal language in which he discusses commonalities in Iranian and Western cultures. Inspired by Pop art, Farhad overturns both pop culture and highbrow imagery by transforming it into figurative artwork. His pieces are made using everyday objects as well as sparkly, luxurious materials such as pearls, crystals, sequins, and gold leaf.  Although his oeuvre appears as playful and decorative, beyond the shimmering surfaces Farhad casts a more cynical and often critical eye. He addresses the flaws of contemporary Iran all while toying with its traditional forms, and acknowledges the appeal of the Western world in addition to its limitations.

Farhad began experimenting further with materials that comprise everyday found objects – skillfully layering such materials as cake icing dispensers, embroidery, Swarovski crystals, and even assortments of kitchen knives to make works that incorporate increasingly textured and sculptural approaches. His use of such materials continues to demonstrate his ability to go beyond the confines of pure aestheticism with playful irreverence and layered meaning. In his usual subdued impertinence, Farhad deploys his mastery of Iranian visual vernacular, as well as an acute awareness of popular culture and art history, to evoke pertinent issues of our times. Through ‘candy’ colors and hybrid materials in paintings and installations, he plays with the codes of modernism while developing a flamboyant iconography.

Bio text and image courtesy of the artist and The Third Line, Dubai.