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For his solo exhibition at the gallery, Moshiri presents a new single installation which comprises of numerous knives in a variety of colored handles, shapes and sizes inserted directly into the gallery’s walls to spell out the word ‘Shukran’, ‘thank you’ in Arabic. This bold and confronting work, much like Moshiri’s oeuvre, shocks the viewer and pushes materials beyond their inherent qualities by deconstructing any pre-conceived notions associated with them thus situating them in a new perspective. Why ‘Shukran’? “Because it is very difficult for us to associate knives with politeness,” explains Moshiri. Operating as a visual pun, Moshiri’s work often takes up activities of normality portrayed with an underlying tone of cynicism. Beyond his seemingly attractive works lies a more painful and more complex reality that is imbued with nostalgia and irony.
Using often contradicting concepts to the nature of his materials, Moshiri’s work leads its audience to shift their framework of perception and discover new truths about the material, the work and its reception. The dazzling use of ‘candy’ colours and hybrid materials in Moshiri’s recent works—paintings and installations—immediately capture the eye. Alternating between minimalism and mannerism, they are part of an Iranian artistic tradition of calligraphy and miniature, as well as Western pop imagery. Moshiri plays with the codes of modernism while developing a flamboyant iconography.
Moshiri constantly experiments with his materials, using cake icing dispensers, Swarovski crystals, and even assortments of kitchen knives to create works that incorporate increasingly textured and sculptural approaches while demonstrating his ability to go beyond the confines of pure aestheticism with playful irreverence.
