Abbas Akhavan’s Solo Show at Chisenhale Gallery

Abbas Akhavan's show in different media entitled "Curtain Call, Variations on a Folly" is being held at Chisenhale Gallery from August 14 to October 17, 2021.

The materials used by Akhavan for this show are chroma key green screen and cob. He attempts to do some research about the relationship between these two materials. By stepping inside the gallery, the viewers are encountered with a  green scene that has covered the entire walls and floor of the gallery with thatch sculptures placed on top of them. The rows of pillars are stacked just like the "Monumental Arch of Palmyra" in Syria. The chroma key green screen and cob are severely different and sit on the opposite ends of a spectrum in terms of components. Cob is an ancient organic material used in construction, whereas chroma key green screen is one of the most typical tools in visual effects used for creating digital images. The juxtaposition of these two materials can make a new perspective as well; the presence of these cob pillars on this chroma key green screen makes it possible to suggest any other place.

In a different part of the show and on the gallery's roof, a large text is written that is meant to be read by birds, airplanes, and taller buildings: "Cat's Paw". The text is derived from Jean de la Fontaine's 1679 fable "The Monkey and the Cat". It would fade within time, and the cob and woods used for this installation will be made into compost and recycled and reused. 

Abbas Akhavan, born in 1977, received his fine art master's degree from the University of British Columbia. Akhavan lives and works in Vancouver and has attended several shows and art fairs so far.