Arghavan Khosravi's New Sculptures Stage a Psychological Drama of the Self

4 hours ago7 min read

Arghavan Khosravi's latest exhibition is a masterful staging of the subconscious, where each sculpture acts as a performer in a profound psychological drama. These radiant, intricate works do more than fill a gallery; they command a silent, powerful dialogue on identity, memory, and the fragmented self.View this not as a static display, but as a theatrical production where every piece delivers a soliloquy on cultural duality and internal conflict. Khosravi, an Iranian artist working in the United States, has long used her practice to navigate the space between her heritage and her present life.This new collection represents her most technically ambitious and intimately personal work to date. Architecturally constructed from wood, metal, and fabrics painted with the rich palette of Persian miniatures, the sculptures are deliberately fractured.Limbs and torsos float in suspended, disconnected frames, creating a visual metaphor for a psyche pieced together from disparate parts—a self that is both whole and disjointed. The symbolism is deeply theatrical: disembodied hands reach across divides, classical forms are interrupted by sharp, industrial elements, and vibrant colors starkly contrast with somber backgrounds.This is art that performs. It possesses a narrative arc—a backstory, a central conflict, and a resolution left provocatively open for the viewer to complete.One might see echoes of Robert Wilson's precise stagecraft or the existential weight of Samuel Beckett's plays, where the environment itself becomes a character. Khosravi’s meticulous process is a form of rehearsal, a fusion of traditional craft and contemporary sculpture that mirrors her core theme: the past is not abandoned but intricately woven into the present's fabric.While art critics often place her within the context of the Iranian diaspora, alongside figures like Shirin Neshat, Khosravi’s focus is distinct. Her work is less overtly political and more intimately psychological, mapping the internal terrain where personal history collides with collective memory.The result is a collection of universal resonance. Though rooted in a specific bicultural experience, the fundamental human struggle to assemble a coherent identity from fragments is laid bare. In an age of constant external noise, Khosravi’s sculptures offer a powerful moment of quiet introspection—a standing ovation for the complex, contradictory performance of being.

#featured

#Arghavan Khosravi

#sculpture

#subconscious

#art exhibition

#contemporary art

#mixed media

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