The latest works by Farhad Moshiri, one of the most celebrated artists in the Middle East, are on exhibit in Seoul for the first time.

The artist, born in Iran in 1963 and educated in the U.S., rose to instant fame in the global art world as his crystallized work “Love” was sold for more than $1 million at the 2008 Bonhams auction in Dubai.

He also received attention for “Life is Beautiful,” his 2009 installation that consists of hundreds of kitchen knives stuck on a wall to create the phrase. The work was among the collections of the Francois Pinault Foundation that were on view at the 2011 Venice Biennale.

Moshiri’s Seoul exhibition “My Flower” at Gallery Hyundai includes some of his representative works including the knives installation and beaded embroidery paintings.

“My title best explains my mood. It’s romantic and at the same time fits the intended cliche that represents the overall ambience of my works. It’s like greeting cards,” the artist writes in the exhibition catalogue. 

Moshiri is known for works associated with Iranian culture that are visually expressed in the form of pop art. Using ornamental objects commonly found in Iranian culture, he attempts to include his voice in his art, challenging the usual notion of Islamic art that is “nurtured in order not to say anything.”

“Trying to say something using ornamentation as a medium on my palette was an interesting challenge for me. I wanted to take it a step further,” said the artist in the interview included in the exhibition catalogue.

Now based in Tehran and Paris, the artist continues to explore the visuals that are a result of combining Western pop culture and kitsch aesthetics with Iranian traditional art techniques. “I see myself in a position where I’m picking up on popular culture, repackaging it and showing it in a white cube,” said Moshiri.

The exhibition “My Flower” runs through Dec. 1 at Gallery Hyundai in Jongno-gu, Seoul. For more information, call (02) 2287-3591.

By Lee Woo-young (wyleeheraldcorp.com)