Once at Present: Contemporary Art of the Bay Area Iranian Diaspora (2019)
Kaveh Irani
L-R: The Soundscape, 2015-2019
Mixed media and audio
Pipes in the Corner, 2016
Acrylic on wood
Neon Pipe, 2018
Acrylic on canvas
Floral Pipes in the Corner, 2016
Acrylic on wood
Irani’s recent sculptural installations and paintings take inspiration from his participation in a project that took place in a demolished building in Iran in 2015. Using the remaining building materials as objects to use in his work, including rusted galvanized pipes, he began to incorporate audio into the work in various ways. Thinking about how these pipes transfer air from one place to another, Irani began to position his work in the context of the immigrant experience — the sounds inside their head may be quite different from the sounds around them. Instead of air, these pipes transfer experiences, histories, and memories. In The Soundscape he uses sound recordings of the Grand Bazaar in Tehran.
Once at Present: Contemporary Art of the Bay Area Iranian Diaspora
March 29 - April 20, 2019
Minnesota Street Project
San Francisco, CA
Photo credit: Scott Chernis