Hossein Valamanesh: Out of nothingness

Hossein Valamanesh: Out of nothingness by Mary Knights and Ian North, and published by Wakefield Press.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Hossein Valamanesh draws on his Iranian heritage and experience of the Australian landscape and culture to create enigmatic artworks imbued with a disturbing beauty. Born in Tehran, he came to Australia in 1973 aged 24, and has become one of the country's most significant contemporary artists.

Deceptively simple, Valamanesh's work is often made with elemental substances, natural materials and found objects - for example Persian carpets, an old photo of his grandmother or a pair of worn shoes resonating with cultural and personal associations. Inspired by Persian poetry and Sufi philosophy, ambiguous elements in Valamanesh's work open up the play of the imagination, metaphysical questioning and quiet reflection.

Hossein Valamanesh: Out of nothingness traces the development of this unique artist's practice, demonstrating its engagement with intense philosophical questions such as the ephemerality of existence, and relationships between nature and culture.