Ancient Blue Ornament, Kamrooz Aram
Installation view at Atlanta Contemporary, Georgia, 2018
Like other artists who engage the classic tenets of institutional critique, Aram heightens our awareness of the established frameworks that shape our understanding and valuation of art objects. Yet, his encounter with the exhibition space is informed by a certain empathy towards materials, artworks, and architecture—a refreshing gesture that frustrates the cold, reductive aesthetic that accompanies much of the movement’s practices. Thus, instead of ignoring or fetishizing the gallery space and its immovable conditions, Aram incorporates the gallery into the work to allow institutional space and art to activate one another.