Kour Pour

Private Collection, Miami (acquired directly from the artist)
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 2013

This work is in very good condition. The colours in the catalogue illustration are accurate with some of the reds tending more towards a softer tone.
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"The early carpets were based on the patterns that I grew up with; the later ones that I showed at Untitled in New York were more specific because I chose carpets mostly from the 16th Century. You can see images of dragons, monks and Portuguese sailors. These carpet designs were influenced by the experiences of trade and exchange with the Europeans, Indians and Chinese." Kour Pour, 2015

Kour Pour has established himself as one of the most electrifying artists to emerge from Los Angeles’s blossoming, dynamic and vigorous post-internet art scene. Growing up in England, Pour was constantly exposed to traditional textiles and carpets from Persia as his father owned a carpet shop where he would hand-dye sections of ancient carpets that had faded away in order to revitalise them. When Pour moved to Los Angeles, he had a strong feeling of displacement and sensed a part of his heritage had been lost. Once at college, Pour conducted extensive research through museum and auction catalogues and learned weaving techniques, carpet styles and of the diversity of fabrics. When he first started exploring the painting of carpets, he noticed how art and the crafting of an object such as a carpet played an essential role in the evolution of society. People weaving in a community, the history, patterns, figures and even the city where these object were traded and more particularly the legendary Silk Road where the most beautiful textiles were traded between Europe, the Middle East, India and China are clear examples of this.

Pour’s hyperrealist paintings incorporate months of meticulous work and include techniques that culminate in an intricate yet delicately executed surface. He begins the piece by etching the rug’s warp and weft into the under-painting using a broomstick, effectively mirroring a woven texture. Next, he transfers a silkscreen print of the design over the textured surface, and meticulously hand paints each intricate pattern. Lastly, Pour finishes the work using an electrical sander to erase areas of the painting's surface, creating a fictional history that resembles the "aging" progression undertaken by antiquities forgers.

Love Child is undoubtedly Pour’s seminal work, a milestone for his ever growing discovery and reinterpretation of Persian carpet motifs and is seen by the artist as the birth of his carpet series. Love Child is divided into eight distinct panels, each representing a specific type of rug from the various regions of ancient Persia. While some of the designs have become more abstracted, other motifs are instantly recognizable as a Tabrizi carpet from Northwest Persia, a Kashan Carpet from Central Persia, a West Persian rug and a Heriz rug from North West Anatolia.

When all eight sections are assembled, the entire piece creates a unique and mesmerising geographical map of ancient Persian weaving cities. Through this mosaic, the artist attempts to bring his heritage back to life. The intensity of the colour palettes and variety of carpet genres instantly creates a recognizable iconic imagery of undoubtedly one of the most distinguished manifestations of the Persian culture.