Farhad Moshiri

Kashya Hildebrand, Zurich
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 2008

Condition: This work is in very good condition. All craquelure, surface imperfections and paint loss are inherent to the artist's choice of medium and creative process. No apparent signs of restoration under UV light. The canvas could benefit from being restretched. Colour: The colour in the catalogue illustration is accurate, with the overall tonality being more vibrant and strong in the original work. The illustration fails to convey the yellow fluorescent colour on the bottom left area.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Drawing inspiration from one of the most innate aspects of Middle Eastern culture, the talisman, this work is a true fusion of tradition and modernity in contemporary Iranian culture. Enchanting in its own unique manner, Farhad Moshiri's VN derives its power from the cadenced undulation of his large calligraphic collage.

Easily discernible to the Middle Eastern eye, the canvas clearly draws upon the supernatural relationship with numerology, a notion that still remains in many provincial pockets of the region, and which thrived until the late 19th century. The recognition of magical forces in Islamic culture manifested itself in many ways, from magic bowls inscribed with numerals and symbols that would cure the patient if he drank from it to talismanic shirts worn beneath armour that protected the soldier in battle.

For centuries mystic thinkers of the Islamic world pondered the hidden significance of letters, giving them not only a phonetic value but also an arithmetic one. These arithmetic values gave much room for interpretation, for predicting the future, for finding divinity in the written word and for many other purposes. The abjad system was a codification of the Arabic alphabet that applied numerical values to each letter and was used on scientific instruments, and for talismanic codes and magical operations.

Characteristic of Farhad Moshiri’s oeuvre, the artist magnifies his calligraphy to an immense scale,  isolating and highlighting his numerology; something that would have often been compositionally embedded in earlier Islamic objects. In this series featuring numbers and letters overlaid and intertwined to form either an abstract design or a meaningful pattern depending on the perspective, Moshiri crafts a nearly celestial optical illusion yet one imbued with cultural commentary.