Lehmann Maupin Gallery

Shirazeh Houshiary

Biography

Shirazeh Houshiary was born in Iran in 1955. Having moved to London in the early 1970’s Houshiary graduated from the Chelsea School of Art in 1979 emerging with a group of artist that included Anish Kapoor and Richard Deacon. In Europe she is well known for her sculptures in which she seeks to investigate spiritual principles and abstract forms. In her first solo exhibition in New York at Lehmann Maupin gallery in 1999 she included paintings that explored her interest in Sufism and the 13th Century mystic poet Jalal al-Din Rumi. The calligraphy was implemented in graphite and repeatedly laced into the luminous surfaces. In her labor-intensive paintings she unites the word and the canvas into a meditative visual experience. Houshiary describes her work as being about presence. “Presence is like light- how can you describe it? Light can be only experienced, it has presence. This work also has a presence and has only to be experienced.” Houshiary has had solo exhibitions at the Musée Rath in Geneva, the Museum of Modern Art Oxford, the Camden Arts Centre in London, SITE Santa Fe, New Mexico, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, the Museum Villa Stuck in Munich and the Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht among others. In 1994 Houshiary was nominated for the Turner Prize. Houshiary currently lives and works in London.
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Gallery Exhibitions

Shirazeh Houshiary  18 February - 25 March 2006
Works on Paper  30 April - 5 June 2004
Shirazeh Houshiary  25 October - 20 December 2003
New Work - GROUP SHOW  21 June - 31 July 2001
Shirazeh Houshiary  8 September - 23 October 1999

Press

The New York Sun - The New York Sun - April, 2008
Bloomberg - Bloomberg - April, 2008
Art in America - Art in America - April, 2004
Artforum - Artforum - January, 2004
Sculpture - Sculpture - July, 2000
Art Papers - Art Papers - January, 2000
Art in America - Art in America - November, 1999
Artforum - Artforum - November, 1999

Selected Works

Untitled, 2005 mixed media on paper 15.75 x 15.75 inches (paper) 40 x 40 cm 20.375 x 20.375 inches (framed) 51.8 cm x 51.8 cm LM7642


Untitled, 2004 mixed media on paper 15.75 x 15.75 inches (paper) 40 x 40 cm 20.375 x 20.375 inches (framed) 51.8 cm x 51.8 cm LM7731


Breath II, 2004 limestone bricks and audio equipment 255.91 x 47.24 x 39.37 inches 650 x 120 x 100 cm LM7836


Breath IV, 2003 animation, custom PC with built-in LCD panel & audio equipment 12.375 x 15.25 x 4.375 inches 31.4 x 38.7 x 11.1 cm Edition of 10 LM7283


Deep Sleep, 2003 White Aquacryl and graphite on canvas 74.8 x 74.8 inches 190 x 190 cm LM7031


Murmur, 2003 White and black Aquacryl and white ink on canvas 19.69 x 19.69 inches 50 x 50 cm LM7037


Black light, 1998 black aquacryl with silverpoint and graphite on canvas 74 8/10 x 74 8/10 inches 190 x 190 cm LM1492


Luminous darkness, 1998 white aquacryl with pigment and pencil on canvas 74 8/10 x 74 8/10 inches 190 x 190 cm LM1487


White shadow, 1998 white aquacryl with silverpoint and graphite on canvas 74 8/10 x 74 8/10 inches 190 x 190 cm LM1495

Artist Video

Breath I, 2003 animation 15.25 x 12.375 x 4.375 inches 38.7 x 31.4 x 11.1 cm Edition of 10 LM7245