VOORIA ARIA / There is enough place for all of us

September 25 - 30, 2018

Vooria Aria has long been fascinated by the aesthetic of graves in the Kurdish area of his native country, Iran. He investigates their aesthetic which involves the special qualities of slate - the stone used in the spatial arrange- ment of the graves. Aria‘s photographs and installation „There is enough place for all of us“ simultaneously document and echo the approach of the Kurdish in the subtle way that they invoke the presence of the graves and the belongings of two dead relatives. Thus we are afforded a nuanced yet precise glimpse into the depth of this tradition, memories and its embodiment of an ancient relationship between belief, conscience, and aesthetics.

Vooria Aria was born in Sanandaj, Iran and now lives in Vienna, Austria. In his works he deals with his personal history and identity. “The most intriguing for me is the way the stones are installed and how the composition influences the entire appearance of the grave and its design.” Slate is a fine grained stone, composed of volcanic ash also found in the surrounding of Sanandaj. Slate is composed of various very thin layers, easy to be broken, easy to perish. He uses these characteristics to deal with migration and social issues in our society re- garding identity. Hence he uses slate as the main source for his current art works: slate as object and also trace.
www.vooriaaria.net

Installation views

Photos: Jakob Lindner