ARTISTS
Pardiss Amerian: Embrasure
Pardiss Amerian鈥檚 approach to painting is one of excavation. Her works are palimpsests of the present鈥攁malgamating diffuse themes through her extended process of building up and sanding down oil paint on linen, pushing and pulling her imagery forward and back. It鈥檚 a fitting approach for a painter whose work is concerned with the legacy of Persian cultural history, fleshing out hypothetical worlds from its artifacts, architecture, and folklore.
Embrasure, the artist鈥檚 second solo exhibition at Zalucky Contemporary, departs from a fragment of wall fresco imprecisely titled Face of a Woman, found in a reference book. The torn shard鈥檚 outline is vaguely cartographic, resembling a loose approximation of land, its right side reveals a jagged eye and brow among faded ornamentation. Face of a Woman was found near the site of the ancient Taq Kasra (3-6 AD), situated in present-day Iraq. Also known as the Arch of Ctesiphon, Taq Kasra is an architectural wonder notable for its monumental vaulted brick archway. Built along the Tigris river bank, the archway is classified as a catenary arch鈥攁n inversion of the natural, wide curve made by a hanging chain.
In Embrasure, Amerian posits a series of connected allegories formed through interstitial references and poetic leaps that recontextualize the foundations of Ctesiphon鈥檚 former palace. Chains, zippers, teeth, and winding rivers appear throughout the gallery, merging with human figures holding protective postures and sloping embraces. The body鈥檚 inherent strength and geometry recalls the archway curve, which seems to have propagated across several paintings. As the arch lends itself to hybrid interpretations, her formal symmetry opens up a universe of other pliable forms; cypress trees resemble tongues or shields, dandelions double as frenetic bursts of light.
Pardiss Amerian鈥檚 approach to painting is one of excavation. Her works are palimpsests of the present鈥攁malgamating diffuse themes through her extended process of building up and sanding down oil paint on linen, pushing and pulling her imagery forward and back. It鈥檚 a fitting approach for a painter whose work is concerned with the legacy of Persian cultural history, fleshing out hypothetical worlds from its artifacts, architecture, and folklore.
Embrasure, the artist鈥檚 second solo exhibition at Zalucky Contemporary, departs from a fragment of wall fresco imprecisely titled Face of a Woman, found in a reference book. The torn shard鈥檚 outline is vaguely cartographic, resembling a loose approximation of land, its right side reveals a jagged eye and brow among faded ornamentation. Face of a Woman was found near the site of the ancient Taq Kasra (3-6 AD), situated in present-day Iraq. Also known as the Arch of Ctesiphon, Taq Kasra is an architectural wonder notable for its monumental vaulted brick archway. Built along the Tigris river bank, the archway is classified as a catenary arch鈥攁n inversion of the natural, wide curve made by a hanging chain.
In Embrasure, Amerian posits a series of connected allegories formed through interstitial references and poetic leaps that recontextualize the foundations of Ctesiphon鈥檚 former palace. Chains, zippers, teeth, and winding rivers appear throughout the gallery, merging with human figures holding protective postures and sloping embraces. The body鈥檚 inherent strength and geometry recalls the archway curve, which seems to have propagated across several paintings. As the arch lends itself to hybrid interpretations, her formal symmetry opens up a universe of other pliable forms; cypress trees resemble tongues or shields, dandelions double as frenetic bursts of light.
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