Artist, Shirazeh Houshiary: I am Shirazeh Houshiary.
Curator, Anne Umland: The artist Shirazeh Houshiary came to England from Iran. Her work cannot be taken in at a glance. After a few moments, you’ll be able to make out what looks like a horizontal band of vaporous gray mist. It’s about two thirds of the way up the white surface, which Houshiary considers a colorless space, or void. If you stand a bit closer, the mist resolves itself into tiny, barely visible marks similar to the warp and weft of the underlying canvas. Presence was one of three Houshiary works displayed together in a London show called Self Portrait.
Shirazeh Houshiary: These paintings were the result of this need to know who I am. I had to transcend my identity as name and nationality, as these are my definable boundaries.
To describe the concept behind this painting, I often use this story as a metaphor: I looked at the mirror and saw no image of myself. I went very close to the surface of the mirror to see if I could find any reflection. My breath left a residue of mist on the surface of the mirror. I went backward to see if I could see anything. The mist evaporated.
I realized this is who we really are—not concrete and not permanent, or definable. It is this illusive presence, which can only be experienced directly, a part of life, or breath. I make these paintings on the floor, stretching the canvas on the board laid down flat. I am sitting inside the canvas, extremely close to the surface of the painting. This creates an intimacy between the painting and my body. So the dimension of the painting directly relates to my physical body.
And you would say, this is white, and why doesn't it get dirty? (Laughs) I do it with extreme care, and it’s a whole ritual creating these paintings.