ARTHUR M. SACKLER GALLERY PRESENTS ‘PERSPECTIVES: Y.Z. KAMI’

AVV 6-13 #742651

 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The exhibition “Perspectives: Y.Z. Kami” is on view at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery through October 13.

The “Perspectives” series of contemporary Asian art resumes with an exhibition of new works by artist Y.Z Kami. Born in Tehran, Kami draws from Eastern and Western aesthetic and mystical traditions to create large-scale works that explore the movement between the physical world and the inward spiritual journey.

A student of philosophy, he developed a particular interest in the human face and its relationship to the divine that has inspired several groups of portraits. This exhibition presents two monumental portraits from his current series depicting individuals in meditation.

Each subject, rendered with a soft focus and simple palette, emanates a sense of peace and introspection. In the third and largest work on view, poetry and religious architecture also give form to the divine. Using collage and verses from the Mathnawi of Jalaluddin Rumi (1207–1273), the artist arranges words like bricks in a spiral of calligraphy that invokes the feeling of looking through a dome or the ecstatic movement of a ritual dance.

The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is at 1050 Independence Avenue, SW, on the National Mall. For more information, www.asia.si.edu or 202-633-1000.