ABU DHABI ART - BEYOND SECTOR A Large Scale Installation ‘Shukran’ by Farhad Moshiri

Abu Dhabi Art’s public programming included the Beyond sector which presents large-scale sculptural works and installations within and beyond fair grounds, and engage with public spaces. The selected works will be exhibited for six months.

This year, Farhad Moshiri’s large scale knife installation 'Shukran' forms an integral part of the Beyond sector, welcomed visitors at the entrance. The visually textural installation is made up of hundreds of knives – in a variety of shapes, sizes and multi-coloured handles – spelling out the word ‘Shukran’, the Arabic word for ‘Thank You’. Operating as a visual pun, Farhad’s work often takes up the ordinary and the familiar and turns it around through a satirical representation. 'Shukran' delivers both humour and sarcasm and plays on the artist’s ability to detract from social situations, to the more simplified actions of daily life. Through over the top ornamentation and a facetious nod to pop culture, Farhad addresses viewing mechanisms between Eastern and Western approaches to aesthetics, as well as the power dynamics inherent within.

Farhad Moshiri, Shukran, 2011, Knives and plaster wall, Variable size, Installation view / Courtesy of The Third Line and the Artist

Farhad Moshiri, Shukran, 2011, Knives and plaster wall, Variable size, Detail / Courtesy of The Third Line and the Artist

Farhad Moshiri, Shukran, 2011, Knives and plaster wall, Variable size, Detail / Courtesy of The Third Line and the Artist

Farhad Moshiri, Shukran, 2011, Knives and plaster wall, Variable size, Detail / Courtesy of The Third Line and the Artist

Farhad Moshiri

Farhad Moshiri was born in 1963 in Shiraz, Iran. He studied art at California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, California, USA. He had numerous solo and group exhibitions in USA, Canada, Hong Kong, Brussels, France, UAE, Bahrain, Austria, UK, Italy, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Norway, Armenia, Estonia and Iran. His works has been featured in many magazines and books and a part of many private and museum collections, like François Pinault Collection, Italy; British Museum, UK; Virginia Museum of Fine Art, USA; Farjam Collection, Dubai, UAE. Farhad Moshiri lives and works in Iran.

The Third Line

The Third Line is a Dubai based art gallery that represents contemporary Middle Eastern artists locally, regionally and internationally. The Third Line also hosts non-profit, alternative programs to increase interest and dialogue in the region. Represented artists include: Abbas Akhavan, Ala Ebtekar, Amir H. Fallah, Arwa Abouon, Babak Golkar, Ebtisam Abdulaziz, Farhad Moshiri, Fouad Elkoury, Golnaz Fathi, Hassan Hajjaj, Hayv Kahraman, Huda Lutfi, Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige, Laleh Khorramian, Lamya Gargash, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Pouran Jinchi, Rana Begum, Sahand Hesamiyan, Sara Naim, Sherin Guirguis, Shirin Aliabadi, Slavs and Tatars, Sophia Al-Maria, Tarek Al-Ghoussein, Youssef Nabil and Zineb Sedira.