Behrouz Heschmat

Behrouz Heschmat

Behrouz Heschmat is a self-exiled contemporary Iranian artist whose sculptures present a visual narrative on his displaced geographical state. His tree houses are physical productions of the emigrant artist’s imaginative interpretation and expectations of home. To Heschmat, the personal abode is central to human existence, in this series he emphasises the necessity of sturdy habitual foundations, referencing the instability and frailty often felt by émigré individuals like himself.

Inspired by Forough Forokhzad’s poetry and film, This House is Black (1963), Heschmat began to create phantasmagorical tree houses. Influenced by his personal psyche, experiences and philosophy each dwelling is a pursuit for his own home. His tree houses mutate; their materials, colours and contents continually changing to convey various notions of residency. The instability is portrayed via a sense of balance, demonstrated by the precarious positioning of each house.

Heschmat's works references emotive experiences that affect a range of communities across Central Asia and the Middle East. His sculptures are characterised by his dynamic handling of form and material. Despite conveying experiences relating to loss, solitude, and despair Heschmat effortlessly creates surreal sculptures with a candid innocence.