Abu Dhabi Art (21 - 23 Nov 2019) The Third Line Features Works By The Iranian-born American Artist, Pouran Jinchi

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

Drawing inspiration from traditional Iranian literature and Persian-type calligraphy, Jinchi is fascinated by the power of language. She is attracted to systems of communication and explores this curiosity by creating new frameworks for visual storytelling. As a result of the artist’s classical training as an engineer, her works often emerge from calculated, ritualistic and repetitive processes that adhere to self-imposed restrictions.

Distorted, warped, and reformed, Jinchi abstracts individual letters into thin metal strips, delicately cut and clustered together in her hanged copper piece ‘Untitled #3’ (2013), from her series The Blind Owl. In an alternate play on typography, she sews together methodically scattered puzzle-like segments using handmade paper and copper thread to produce ‘Stiched’ (2015).

Pouran Jinch, Untitled #3 (The Blind Owl Series), 2013. Copper and Paint, 104 x 43 x 25.4 cm / Courtesy of The Third Line and the artist

In her recent works, Jinchi underlines the parallels between art and military transmission codes as she embeds cryptic messages within her pieces, which appear as indecipherable patterns to the untrained eye. The artist pushes the boundaries of abstraction, traversing linguistic frontiers in her reinterpretation of the art of military coding in ‘Morse Code Blue’ (2016).

This booth presents samples from a range of Pouran Jinchi’s practice, exemplifying her various takes on visual communication while showcasing the artist's different experiments with linguistic systems. In essence, a great example of her artistic mission as described here “I try to communicate between the space where words are seen and visuals are experienced.”

Pouran Jinchi, Morse Code Blue, 2016. Embroidery on Linen, 122 x 91.5 cm (48 x 36 in) / Courtesy of The Third Line and the artist

Pouran Jinchi

Born in the sacred city of Mashhad in Iran, Pouran Jinchi was attuned early on to the ways architecture and ornamentation are imbued with symbolic power. This awareness is threaded through her body of works that explore the intersectionality of literary and pictorial narratives. While Pouran's education as a civil engineer sharpened her analytical mind, she ultimately decided to pursue a career in the arts. Her classical training in calligraphy in Iran sprouted the curiosity to study art at UCLA and the Art Students League of New York. Unifying her interests, she created her unique artistic approach that draws from both the systematic approach of engineering and the fluid techniques of calligraphy.

Pouran takes inspiration from a range of sources such as literature, history, and art. She expands her concepts by breaking them down into specific components and layering them with abstraction. Her process is multi-channeled and complex, resulting in works that invite the viewer to uncover their meanings and interpret their coded patterns.

Pouran Jinchji, B as Bravo Octagon, 2017. Enamel on MDF panels 46 x 46 cm (18in x 18 in) / Courtesy of The Third Line and the artist

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 nonprofit, alternative programs to increase interest and dialogue in the region. Represented artists include: Abbas Akhavan, Ala Ebtekar, Amir H. Fallah, Babak Golkar, Farah Al Qasimi, Farhad Moshiri, Fouad Elkoury, Hassan Hajjaj, Hayv Kahraman, Huda Lutfi, Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige, Jordan Nassar, Laleh Khorramian, Lamya Gargash, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Nima Nabavi, 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.