REZA ARAMESH Fragment of the Self

Night Gallery is delighted to present Fragment of the Self, an exhibition of new work by Reza Aramesh. The artist will exhibit four new series across a diverse range of materials and processes. This is Aramesh’s debut solo exhibition in Los Angeles and with the gallery, following our co-presentation, with Dastan Gallery, of his 2023 sculpture Site of the Fall: Study of the Renaissance Garden, Action 182: At 01:01 pm Saturday 03 Feb 1968 at Armory Off-site, New York, NY (2023).

Aramesh challenges representations of the subjected body within historical, cultural, and political contexts. He deconstructs scenes of violence from media coverage of international conflicts that span the mid-20th century through today. His approach critically examines race, class, and sexuality while engaging with the Western art historical canon: Goya, José de Ribera, Andrea Mantegna, and Caravaggio are particular influences.

In collaboration with non-professional models, Aramesh reenacts carefully selected source materials as he transforms journalistic imagery into new forms. By stripping away overt markers of war, he displaces his subjects from the immediate realities of conflict. A resulting tension between empathy and cruelty underscores the body's transformation into mythology.

Fragment of the Self introduces four distinct series: Study of the Head as Cultural Artefacts (photographs of plaster heads alongside a bronze sculpture), Study of Color as Colonial Delight (embroideries on silk), Study for Fragment of the Self (drawings on paper that serve as meditative studies on the fragmented body), and Fragment of the Self (three marble sculptures).

In each of these series, Aramesh delves into the literal and metaphorical meanings of sculptural fragments. He challenges traditional notions of wholeness and identity, highlighting resilience and adaptability. His works invite reflections on how meaning and beauty persist even in imperfection.

In Study of Color as Colonial Delight, Aramesh selects specific hues from historical Orientalist paintings, first translating them into drawings based on reportage images and then rendering them as hand-stitched embroidery figures on silk.

Through these material and conceptual investigations, Fragment of the Self bridges the personal and the  collective, the historical and the contemporary. Aramesh says: “I’m in dialogue with artists and atrocities of the past, excavating history as I construct alternate narratives.”