Unification is an artistic project rooted in the formal blending of Persian and Western influences. It emerges from Zahra Nazari’s exploratory practice in painting and sculpture and her identity as an immigrant from Iran in the U.S./// In the paintings and works on paper, Nazari represents architectural forms with flowing, abstract lines. She derives inspiration from the spectacular 17th-century monuments of the Safavid dynasty in Isfahan, such as the Shah Mosque, the Ali Qapu Palace, and its Music Room. Traces of Persian archways, niches, vaults, lattices, and the eight-pointed star are combined with fractured and deconstructed architectural shapes. Nazari’s sculptures are a fusion of 17th-century Persian monuments and Western and postmodern architecture. Built from stainless steel and displayed directly on the ground, the geometric patterns of the sculptures cast shadows and reflect lights onto the surrounding areas enabling a multidimensional experience. Nazari’s use of industrial material alludes to sculptors such as Anthony Caro and Robert Morris, who manipulate solid raw steel into lyrical, freeform shapes. Nazari’s deconstructionism additionally intimates the works of architects like Zaha Hadid and Frank Gehry. … Zahra Nazari (b.1985 in Hamedan, Iran) is a New York-based painter, sculptor, and installation artist working with architectural themes. She has given artist talks and participated as a panelist at institutions including NYU, Columbia University, Cooper Union, and Pratt Institute in New York City. She has been interviewed by and published in Hamptons Art Hub, Hyperallergic, Whitehot Magazine, ZH Magazine, and more. Her works are included in private and public collections throughout the US, Canada, and Asia.

Curator: Roya Khadjavi