THE THIRD LINE AT ABU DHABI ART (NOV 18 – 21, 2015) A Solo Presentation by New York-based Iranian Artist Pouran Jinchi

The solo presentation at the booth is exhibiting new and recent works by Pouran Jinchi, including works on paper, hammered marks on copper, permanent ink markers on plexiglas and scratched impressions on graphite paper. A testament to the artist’s continued exploration of the asemic, the works explore the liminal space between the legible and the abstract within the realm of the textual. Her engagement with myriad media to deconstruct the textual is evidenced by the variety of forms her work has taken, whilst all stemming from the same point.

In the 'Blind Owl' series, Pouran takes inspiration, and content, from a publication of the same name, penned in the late 1930s by Sadegh Hedayat. This seminal piece of 20th century literature explores a grim fascination with death and for the most part was banned in Iran. The 'Hammered' copper works, where Pouran has left the diacritical marks in place and has removed the text, reveal the rhythm and the musicality that can emerge from text even when divorced from the verbal meaning.

In a new body of work, the graphite paper works possess a magnetism that suggest the metaphysics at work, which Pouran taps into through these repetitive, painstakingly mastered exercises. They continue her explorations of the aesthetics of text, in this case almost recalling primal forms of mark-making, despite the fact that her point of departure is such a disciplined and deeply honed practice.

Pouran Jinchi, Hammered 7 from The Blind Owl Series, 2014, Copper on panel, 102x76cm / Courtesy of The Third LIne and the Artist

Pouran Jinchi, Untitled #2 from The Blind Owl Series, 2013, Plexiglass and Permenant Marker, 25.4x30.5cmx5.4cm / Courtesy of The Third LIne and the Artist

Pouran Jinchi, Untitled #2 from The Blind Owl Series, Detail, 2013, Plexiglass and Permenant Marker, 25.4x30.5cmx5.4cm / Courtesy of The Third LIne and the Artist

Pouran Jinchi, Untitled #2 from The Blind Owl Series, Detail, 2013, Plexiglass and Permenant Marker, 25.4x30.5cmx5.4cm / Courtesy of The Third LIne and the Artist

Pouran Jinchi, Stitched, 2015, Ink and copper on handmade paper with copper thread, 132 x 119.4 cm / Courtesy of The Third LIne and the Artist

Pouran Jinchi, Stitched, Detail, 2015, Ink and copper on handmade paper with copper thread, 132 x 119.4 cm / Courtesy of The Third LIne and the Artist

Pouran Jinchi, Stitched, Detail, 2015, Ink and copper on handmade paper with copper thread, 132 x 119.4 cm / Courtesy of The Third LIne and the Artist

Pouran Jinchi, Untitled #1, 2015, Scratched graphite paper, 63.5 x 50.8 cm / Courtesy of The Third LIne and the Artist

Pouran Jinchi, Untitled #1, Detail, 2015, Scratched graphite paper, 63.5 x 50.8 cm / Courtesy of The Third LIne and the Artist

Pouran Jinchi, Untitled #2, 2015, Scratched graphite paper, 63.5 x 50.8 cm / Courtesy of The Third LIne and the Artist

Pouran Jinchi, Untitled #1, Detail, 2015, Scratched graphite paper, 63.5 x 50.8 cm / Courtesy of The Third LIne and the Artist

The Third Line at Abu Dhabi Art 2015, Installation view

The Third Line at Abu Dhabi Art 2015, Installation view / Courtesy of The Third LIne and the Artist

The Third Line at Abu Dhabi Art 2015, Installation view / Courtesy of The Third LIne and the Artist

The Third Line at Abu Dhabi Art 2015, Installation view / Courtesy of The Third LIne and the Artist

The Third Line at Abu Dhabi Art 2015, Installation view / Courtesy of The Third LIne and the Artist

The Third Line at Abu Dhabi Art 2015, Installation view / Courtesy of The Third LIne and the Artist

The Third Line at Abu Dhabi Art 2015, Installation view / Courtesy of The Third LIne and the Artist

Pouran Jinchi

Pouran Jinchi is an Iranian-born, New York artist who borrows from her home culture's traditions of literature and calligraphy to pursue her own aesthetic investigations. Having been trained in calligraphy, she finds the relation between words and forms, natural or nonobjective, deeply intertwined.

Pouran has held several solo exhibitions in New York, Dubai, Japan and others. Her work has also been included in several group exhibitions in prominent venues such as Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2013); Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (2012); Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (2010); and the Brooklyn Museum, New York (2009). Pouran’s works are represented in prominent institutional collections such as The Metropolitan Museum, New York; Pratt Institute, New York; The Museum of Fine Arts Houston; Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, NY; Brooklyn Museum, NY; Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC; Federal Reserve Bank, NY; Farjam Collection, Dubai, and several major and international corporate collections.