The exhibition of Ashkan Behjo's works titled "Unseen Cities" is held in Soo Gallery. In an interview with HonarOnline, Bahjo stated that 21 works were displayed in this collection and different materials such as ceramics, bronze and papier mache were used in them. The initial spark of making these works was struck a few years ago in Mr. Tanavoli's ceramics classes. This collection is divided into two parts, one group of works inspired by the form of the gate and the other group inspired by the form of the dome.
Bahjo continued: I inspired the shape of the dome from the tomb of Sheikh Safiuddin Ardabili. This mausoleum is different from other domes because its stem is very high and several domes are placed together. In my work, this feature is seen in the form of a dome that contains several small domes in its heart, and this process can continue indefinitely. In some works, the domes have become human figures.
The artist added: I visualized my mental space and made it a reality. But one of my friends said that seeing them reminded him of a book by Italo Calvino. After reading that book, I tried to create some of my works with that mood.
Bahjo said about the gates: To make these works, I was inspired by Iranian gates and gates from other parts of the world. Seeing these works, the audience cannot point to a specific building, but there is something familiar in the back of his mind.
Referring to the important role of architecture in his works, he said: Considering that I studied in the field of architecture, there are signs of it in the background of all my works. Of course, despite my interest in architecture, I tried many times to leave this tendency in my works, but in the end it was not possible. I don't care what elements I use. Each audience compares elements to different things based on their mentality. For me, all these works refer to a certain subject, but I do not insist that the audience receives the same.
Behjo added: Before, I worked with different materials such as bronze, fiberglass, epoxy resin, etc., but none of them had the feeling that ceramics creates in my work.
By Dorsa Bakhshandegi