THE THIRD LINE (MARCH 19 – APRIL 21, 2018) Solo exhibition ‘recently’ by Abbas Akhavan

A collection of recent works, the exhibition lies somewhere between an open studio, an index, an inventory, a table of contents and a periodic table. Put on display are material explorations related to the artist’s ongoing research and concerns about the environment, animals, weapons, and property, to name a few. Despite their overlap in materials and concerns, these works are shown in their own right without an over arching thematic narrative or a curatorial objective.

Abbas Akhavan, Study for a Garden, 2017, Bronze, (detail), Photo by Jann Averwerser / Courtesy of The Third Line

Abbas Akhavan

Abbas Akhavan's practice ranges from site-specific ephemeral installations to drawing, video and performance. The domestic sphere, as a forked space between hospitality and hostility, has been an ongoing area of research in Abbas' work. Residencies include Atelier Calder (France); Foundation Marcelino Botin with Mona Hatoum (Spain); Le Printemps de Septembre (France); Trinity Square Video, Western Front, and Fogo Islands (Canada); The Watermill Center (USA); and The Delfina Foundation (Dubai, UAE & London, UK).

Abbas Akhavan, Untitled, 2017, Ink on paper, Diptych, 50 x 65 cm each / Courtesy of The Third Line

Abbas Akhavan, If the first metaphor was animal, 2016, Cotton elastic bandage, plaster, fiberglass_63 x 56 x 78 cm / Photo by Guy L'Heureux / Courtesy of The Third Line

Solo exhibitions include variations on a garden, Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, Ireland (2017); Abbas Akhavan, Villa Stuck, Munich, Germany (2017); variations on a garden, David Roberts Art Foundation, London, UK (2017); Study for a Curtain The Third Line, Dubai, UAE (2015); variations on a garden, Mercer Union, Toronto, Canada (2013); Study for a Garden, Delfina Foundation, London (2012). Selected group exhibitions include A Poethical Wager, MOCA Cleveland (2017); Disappearing Act, Thames Art Gallery, Toronto Canada (2017); The Uses of Art, SALT Galata, Istanbul, Turkey (2017); Making Nature: How we see animals, Wellcome Collection, London, UK (2016); But a Storm Is Blowing from Paradise, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA (2016); Common Grounds, Museum Villa Stuck, Munich, Germany (2015); Accented, Maraya Art Center, Sharjah, UAE (2015); The politics of food, Delfina Foundation, London, UK (2014); Tactics for Here & Now, Bucharest Biennale, Romania (2012); Tools for Conviviality, Power Plant, Toronto (2012); and Beacon, Darling Foundry, Montreal (2012).

Abbas Akhavan, Villa Stuck, Corner Piece, 2017, Steel, Variable dimensions / Courtesy of The Third Line

Abbas is the recipient of Kunstpreis Berlin (2012); the Abraaj Group Art Prize (2014) and the Sobey Art Award (2015). His work has been featured in the New Orleans Triennial (2017); the Sharjah Biennial (2017); the Gwangju Biennial (2014); the Montreal Biennial (2014); the Athens Biennial (2013); and in Performa, New York (2011).

Abbas’ works can be found in private and public collections around the world, including The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal, Canada; The Art Museum at the University of Toronto, Canada; The Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, Canada; Royal Bank of Canada collections, Canada; Vancouver Art Gallery, Canada and the Alma Mater Society: University of British Columbia, Canada. Abbas lives and works in Toronto, Canada.