This sculpture fused two cultural elements which have been lost in history.
First, the Shir Sangi is a lion that stood guard over our graves for many thousands of years. Second, the pattern on the plate (Red Rose Pattern) was very popular in the past, but has been forgotten in recent times. On the body of the lion is written “I am not here”. This is a physical manifestation of our nostalgia, our longing for all those parts of our collective past which we have lost and which we miss. 



Shir Sangi

I created this sculpture using a special technique which involves carving out shapes inside blocks of casting sand before the molten bronze is poured in. The peculiarity of this process is that I, as the creator, had no idea how it would turn out until the cast was removed from the sand. This sculpture was an unpredictable creature.

A creature




Figure of stone in bronze. Life is tough but the green vein of hope perseveres


The green line

I am separated from myself.
A stone a broken in two. The smaller part, trapped in a cage, carries with it the sense of being apart from your center;  paralyzed and unable to reunite.
Bronze
20cm x 10cm


Separation 

on a day when things were going very badly in my home country of Iran, I had the feeling that although Turkey was not yet in lockdown, I was in a sort of quarantine of my own, mirroring that of my parents and friends back home. There was no defence, no escape, and I was overcome with the fear of losing everyone I held dear to me. 
As I walked, I glimpsed a windmill perched on a balcony. It was a windy day, and sometimes, as the wind caught its sails, the windmill would spin joyously before falling still once again. It seemed to me that when the wind came, the windmill would come to life and simply enjoy its existence, and it did not worry that there had been a time when it had lain still and lifeless. 
When I came back from Iran, I had to remain isolated from my boyfriend for a time. I felt that my life was separated into three distinct parts – I was in quarantine in three places at once: I was back home in Iran with my parents and my friends and my past, I was locked in my apartment with my sister, and I was in the compound where my love lived.


words and the wind

War’s children
2016 was an annus horribilis. The news of war in the Middle East made me realize that this was a war waged by adults but which children would endure the pain of, children who would be drowned, killed, displaced and terrified. Meanwhile, when I saw a doll with a gloomy face, I felt that even dolls were sad and crying for war’s children. This is the face of their doll. This medal is in memory of war’s children whose childhoods were stolen.


War’s children

The cube represents the only accepted form in urban design and shares a common material with the gate. The installation suggests that the cube is allowed entry, but the pyramid, made from mirrored glass, is denied access despite having more interesting characteristics. The implied tension between these three forms poses a question in the minds of the audience.



This installation comprised three components: The gate, representing possibility; the cube, representing society’s norms, the majority; the pyramid, representing the other, the minority, the different. This trio highlighted the tension which exists between these three components of our society. The cube is of the same, unexceptional material as the gate, but thanks to its form, is capable of passing unimpeded through the gate. On the other side, the pyramid, which even though it is created from a more beautiful material, is prevented from passing through the gate simply because its form does not fit. 
This installation is a song of recognition for all those which, due to being special, different or in the minority, are deprived access to the possibilities available to the majority. 


The Gate

The question posed was “Is the human being the centre of the world?” To try to answer, I made a ring of branches, twigs and copper to represent the planet and the environment, and hung it from the ceiling of the gallery with a mirror placed in front of it. I asked the audience to add whatever they feel would represent humankind’s impact on the environment, whatever humankind might leave in its wake. I then invited them to put themselves in the centre of the installation, to wear it in a way, and then to look at themselves in the mirror and to return to the central question: From inside the installation, do they still feel that humans are the centre of the world? The planet was here before us and will exist long after we have ceased to exist; our only lasting impact will be the pollution we leave behind us.



Decentralized

There was a time when human beings existed in a state of balance with their environment. However, as we discovered how to gain ascendancy over nature, that power started be abused, destroying the balance in the relationship. This pattern is seen over and over in human beings’ interactions, both with other people and their surroundings - to the point that it might even be seen as a philosophy. Developing the means to gain some benefit, and then exploiting that power relentlessly to the point of destruction. This installation represents this concept in a simple way, using elements which the audience can instinctively understand and appreciate. The wire represents industry, trapping the plant. From the outside, it appears as if nature has been scrubbed out. The plant itself is not healthy. It is weak and sickly, representing the state of nature as we have rendered it. This scribbling represents our attempt to forget and deny nature’s importance through the use of violence.
This installation is a way to warn us that we are in need of urgent action.


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Elham Angell Soleimannezhad

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