The cloud, symbolising deity, is hovering silently above the heads of the mourning Mary and her dead son. Jesus wears worn-out jeans, while his torso remains naked as in the original from the Renaissance. Additionally, Mary’s veil ideally harmonises with the Christian form of representation. This contemporary photographic reinterpretation of a major Christian subject by a Muslim artist has nothing blasphemous, but in the polar opposite of this estimation is spanning massive bridges between the different realities, between East and West – striving for peace, respect and mutual understanding.
Artist and architect, Kourosh Salehi has been a leading figure in the Middle Eastern art discourse for over 30 years. He is part of the generation of post-revolution Iranian Artists who have merged East-Western traditions and have invented a new language of exile. His dual cultural heritage is intensely present in his work, which is collected by many international collectors, galleries, and museums.
Image: Kourosh Shalehi, Pietà II, 2012, digital C-print on art photo paper, H900 mm x W1400, edition of 4 and 1 AP.
Courtesy and ©Kourosh Shalehi, Dr Sara Troster and Renée Pfister Art & Gallery Consultancy, 2021
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