GAA Foundation to display works by Iranian sculptor in Venice

TEHRAN –(Iranart)`- Two sculptures by Iranian artist Masud Akhavanjam are scheduled to be put on display by the Global Art Affairs Foundation in Venice alongside the Venice Biennale this year.

“Dilemma of Man” and “Metamorphosis” will be showcased in the Giardini Marinaressa, East Garden from May 11 to November 24, Art Critique, a Parisian art news website, announced on Monday.

The sculptures made of stainless steel combine multiple figures representing Persian mythology, contemporary socio-political themes and philosophy.

About four meters tall, “Dilemma of Man” is a man with a wing of an angel and wing of a bat representing the battle between good and evil.    

Akhavanjam has drawn inspiration from Persian mythical figures of the Achaemenid period to create “Metamorphosis”, which is smaller in size. It features a combination of a bull, an elephant and a deer.

Educated in both Germany and the U.S., Akhavanjam began his career with sculpting ceramics as a teenager. Working as the manager of the Design Department at his family’s household appliance manufacturing company inspired Akhavanjam to establish his own workshop where he brought together the knowledge he garnered in the manufacturing industry and his passion for sculpting.

He made his first bronze sculpture in 2011. He went on to utilize stainless steel, a material more commonly associated with appliances and household fixtures, transforming it from rough and sturdy into “delicate, beautiful and gleaming form[s].”

source: Tehran Times