Object Details
Artist
Shiva Ahmadi
Date
2012
Medium
Watercolor, ink, and acrylic on Aquabord
Dimensions
Panel: 17 × 11 1/2 inches (43.2 × 29.2 cm)
Frame: 17 13/16 × 12 3/8 inches (45.2 × 31.4 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired through the Jarett F. Wait, Class of 1980, and Younghee Kim-Wait Endowment for Contemporary Islamic and Middle Eastern Arts
Object
Number
2013.002
Thick splatter oozes and coagulates on Shiva Ahmadi’s painting. Seated on an incredibly intricate (…)
Thick splatter oozes and coagulates on Shiva Ahmadi’s painting. Seated on an incredibly intricate throne, the turbaned and faceless leader clasps a grenade and activation device. This work combines unpalatable bloodshed with intricate detail and ornamentation, as seen in the textiles and floral motifs. Born and raised in Tehran, the artist teaches now at the University of Michigan. Instigated by recent wars in Middle East, much of Ahmadi’s work is grounded in the study of traditional Persian miniature painting and Islamic texts. Her series cast a critical and contemporary framework on corruption, power, and armed conflict. (“This is no Less Curious: Journeys through the Collection” cocurated by Sonja Gandert, Alexandra Palmer, and Alana Ryder and presented at the Johnson Museum January 24 – April 12, 2015)
