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Exhibition Details

15 February 2013 - 26 February 2013


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General Information

Name: A Letter for Khayyam

Content: Painting

Date of Exhibition: 15 February 2013 - 26 February 2013

More about the exhibiition

A Letter for Khayyam

A majestic white horse stands on a pedestal; saddled, calm and poised. It may have arrived for the events of the last days foretold in the many sacred narratives the world over. Or it may have been prepared for a role in a scene from mythology and is waiting to be immortalized. But the setting is vacant. The ball left on the vacated beach signifies that whoever was present was only there to play. The pedestal is decorated like a stage for superficial or light entertainment. The horse’s eyes are directed at the spectator with a look of perplexity and tedium. The boundless sea and sky evoke feelings of eternity and annihilation while the white horse, a profound spiritual symbol, is waiting to perform in a show that will never occur. Its rider has not turned up, has left or never existed. The time for playing games has ended and only the sacred white horse remains. The imagined scene is absurd. However, it is also a reflection and response to many socio-cultural realities.

In his latest series of paintings Omid Shayan grapples with the tensions and paradoxes he sees in contemporary society and culture. For Shayan, the writings of Omar Khayyam contain profound insights and raise compelling questions concerning value, ethics and existential meaning. The paintings in this collection are attempts to engage with the thought and experiences of the Persian polymath – they are Shayan’s personal letters to Khayyam. He draws inspiration from Khayyam’s life and works and challenges us by blurring boundaries and reinterpreting the significance of familiar symbols. The works simultaneously represent the sacred and the mundane; fascination and boredom; the artificial and the natural; rigor and playfulness; and both thoughtful and perfunctory behaviour. By creating these juxtapositions, Shayan provokes us to consider contradictions hidden in the mundane, routine and ignored features of modern life. The incomprehensible and illogical situations in the paintings may be interpreted as absurdist. Incongruous images and themes are depicted in a way that evokes subtle feelings of discomfort, awkwardness and frivolity.

Artist

Omid Shayan

Art Works

Omid Shayan

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Omid Shayan

Omid Shayan

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Omid Shayan

Omid Shayan

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Omid Shayan

Omid Shayan

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Omid Shayan