Of Labor, Of Dirt

2014
Exhibition view

Courtesy of AbAnbar Gallery, Tehran

Of Labor, Of Dirt extended an inquiry into the tension between systemic structures and individual agency, exploring the compromises and emotional challenges faced in contemporary life where man-made systems often suppress basic human conditions. Through a playful yet thought-provoking approach, the exhibition offered a glimpse into the muted dynamics of these relationships without seeking resolution. Centered on fifty wheel-thrown terracotta scream pots and three large-scale scream vessels, the work employed clay to examine labor as a tool for addressing the imbalances of modern life. The scream pots invited visitors to experience the delicate balance between relief and resistance, encapsulating the ambiguous experience of simultaneously being an object and subject. This final cycle of a three-part series marked the first display of these works in Tehran, concluding an exploration into the paradox of labor and systemic constraints that began with Dialectic of Failure and continued with TIME TO LET GO…