A Thousand Folds

Published on the occasion of the Shirazeh Houshiary's exhibition 'A Thousand Folds' at Lehmann Maupin New York, April 8 – May 28, 2021 Details: Paperback. 134 pages. 13.25 x 9.5 inches Known for her painting, sculpture, and animation that seek to challenge viewers’ perceptions of time, space, and materiality, Houshiary’s works often engage opposing ideas and states of being, including transparency and opacity, sound and silence, surface and depth, presence and absence. The title of this exhibition is inspired from the word thousandfold to suggest an experience that is a conduit for understanding the world around us. Each work unveils fissures or folds as spaces that inhabit our dreams, imaginations, and perceptions. Houshiary approaches the intangible and evanescent, articulating a metaphysical reality that lies beyond mere form and surface. Houshiary’s A Thousand Folds exemplifies the breadth of her practice to date, visualizing her ability to engulf the depth of the universe in a ritualistic process using water and layering to create multiple dimensions to the surfaces of her paintings or sculptures.  About the artist Shirazeh Houshiary (b. 1955, Iran; lives and works in London) graduated from the Chelsea School of Art in London in 1979. Solo exhibitions of her work have been organized at Espace Muraille, Geneva, Switzerland (2016); Tate Liverpool, United Kingdom (2003); SITE Santa Fe, New Mexico (2002); the British Museum, Islamic Gallery, London (1997); and Camden Arts Centre, London (1993). Houshiary has participated in multiple biennials, including GLASSTRESS 2017, the 57th Venice Biennale (2017); GLASSTRESS 2013, the 55th Venice Biennale (2013); the 1st Kiev Biennale (2012); and the 17th Biennale of Sydney (2010). Houshiary’s work is in numerous international public and private collections, including the British Council Collection, London; Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prato, Italy; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; and Tate Modern, London.