TEHRAN (Honaronline) -The Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF) is exhibiting artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian’s “Khayyam Fountain” at Al Hamriya Studios.
The glass sculpture was commissioned by Belgium’s Bruges Triennial 2018, which loaned it to the foundation for a long-term exhibition at Hamriyah Studios where Farmanfarmaian’s final retrospective was presented in 2019, the foundation has announced.
The work was influenced by the realms of Omar Khayyam, a poet, astronomer, and mathematician known for his work on cubist equations, his role in the development of the Persian calendar, as well as his renowned poetry and quatrains.
Farmanfarmaian placed multifaceted geometric shapes of triangles, pentagons, and hexagons into her fountain in honour of Khayam, forming a rotating tower on a hollow base. The metaphorical shape of the fountain of water as a constant source of life is evoked by the development of varied refractions of light at different times of the day.
Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, President and Director of the Sharjah Art Foundation, stated that. “Exhibiting this work at Al Hamriya Studios is particularly significant because it is the venue of the artist’s last retrospective, “ Sunrise Sunset”, commemorating her memory and her inspiring and influential artistic practice, and reflecting Sharjah Art Foundation’s commitment to supporting artists in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf. “
Over nearly six decades, Farmanfarmaian fashioned luminous abstract sculptures and drawings out of glass, mosaic, paper and fabric.