Mornington Peninsula Gallery
31 August - 24 November 2024
Image: Seals of Liberation, 2024, Niloufar Lovegrove, Embossed print, wood glue, felt, 70~80mm x 32mm each cylinder. Courtesy of the artist.
I’m very excited that my work has been selected as one of the final 70 pieces for the prestigious National Works on Paper 2024 award from more than a thousand entries. Many thanks to the esteemed judges—Lisa Waup, Dunja Rmandić, Erica Green, and Trent Walter—for this valuable recognition. I also appreciate Mornington Peninsula Gallery curator Leah Ferguson for the photos from the installation of my work.
My piece, possibly my smallest creation and most primitively carved, consists of a set of 3D cylinders made from embossed paper and is titled "Seals of Liberation." Here is my artist statement:
With my work, I engage in current conversations through Persian mythology and motifs. As a printmaker, I enjoy using handmade paper in various forms. After reviewing the NWOP criteria, which stipulate that 'the paper must act as the main support of the work,' I felt challenged to connect the historical use of clay tablets as the primary record-keeping material in Persian history with paper as a modern medium.
One of the most historically significant items in ancient Persia is the cylinder seal. These seals were rolled on soft clay tablets for record-keeping purposes and often featured a hole so they could be worn alongside decorative beads as necklaces for accessibility.
This trio set offers a new life to the seals, carved with images of women riding horses, battling lions, and standing next to the tree of life. They serve as an acknowledgment of women worldwide, particularly those from my country, during this sensitive period in Iranian history.
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