Omid Mokri
21 Arrows
Past Exhibition
Apr 10 – May 13, 2021
Los Angeles, California
Exhibition Details
Omid Mokri
21 Arrows
Apr 10 - May 13, 2021
Gallery:
Huma House
Los Angeles
Press:
COOL HUNTING
Connect:
@huma-house
Above: Omid Mokri
21 Arrows, 2011
55 x 55 in
Colored pencil, crushed colored pencil paint, bedsheet
Huma House is pleased to present paintings and works on paper by Omid Mokri.
Curated from a body of work made during an intense period of one year while he was incarcerated. The selection centers on humanizing those who are dehumanized by the prison system, and uses vignettes of religious history to counter cultural rhetoric.
During this incredibly challenging period, Omid foraged for materials through clandestine efforts to create a visionary body of work. He created paintbrushes from plastic spoons and hair, pigment from crushed colored pencils and floor wax, and used tea and milk to treat the canvases. With these minimal supplies, he produced expansive paintings with exquisite jewel like details and technical skill learned from his time in Tehran, painting Persian masterworks fo the Qajar period. In the portraits he took individuals out of their prison uniforms and into the robes of kings or biblical figures to reflect their true incandescent power. Woven in the fabric are deep themes of anguish, hope, and ultimately - resilience.
Featured Works
Omid Mokri, Just Waiting, 2011, Graphite on paper, 8.5” x 11 in (21.6 x 27.9 cm)
Omid Mokri, After 22 Years, 2014, Acrylic on board, 11” x 14” (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
Omid Mokri, Cogwheel Heart, Colored pencil, crushed colored pencil paint, pillow case,
28” x 20” (71.1 x 50.8 cm)
Installation Views
About the Artist
Omid Mokri is a contemporary Iranian artist. Born in Tehran, Iran in the early 1960s Omid became familiar with art at an early age, his father was a prominent collector of museum level, ancient Persian artifacts. Omid studied and painted these Persian masterworks that were all around him and at the young age of 14 he was accepted into the prestigious Honarestan-e Honarha-ye Ziba art school in Tehran. His earliest works were paintings inspired by the storied Qajar period and Persian miniatures that explored the richness of Iranian history. He mastered techniques working with precious materials like lapis-lazuli and gold leaf. The Islamic Revolution of 1979 forced him to flee Iran and move to the United States to pursue his contemporary art career. He attended the Rhode Island School of Design and earned a Bachelor's Degree of Fine Art at the California College of the Arts.
He is now living and working in San Francisco, California.