The Third Line is pleased to introduce Iranian sculptor Sahand Hesamiyan, the newest addition to the gallery’s represented artists. His upcoming exhibition Sulook, in the gallery’s Project Space, presents ancient concepts of transcendence in an ultra-modern context, with contemporary sculptural pieces taking cue from Islamic architecture.

Derived from the Arabic term Sulook, the name finds its roots in the Sufi tradition of mysticism. It alludes to a spiritual pathway and involves developing both the exoteric and esoteric aspects of life with accordance to religious guidance.

In physical form, the complex geometric structures and modern aesthetic in the exhibit take inspiration from the traditional structure of the dome – an ancient Persian structural form that became a defining feature of Muslim architecture – specifically, a variation of the dome where its beauty lies in the shape and form rather than its embellishment. Linking science and geometry to the metaphysical nature of spirituality, Hesamiyan references the construction philosophy of these domes, wherein the height and upward movement of the structure is a metaphor for the heavenly transcendence man reaches with enlightenment.

The contemporary interpretation of the dome, through the use of innovative medium such as plexus, UV powder, black lights and reticular form, not only gives mutability to the piece, but also explores both the internal and external spaces and presents the multifaceted relationship that exists between modernity and tradition.

Image: © Sahand Hesamiyan, The Third Line