In Realm of Absence, Katayoun Hosseinrad transforms repetition and restraint into a meditation on memory. Sixteen untitled paintings, each 9” x 12” and composed of deep, muted palettes, create a measured coherence. Installed in a continuous row, their arrangement heightens this sense of consistency, prompting hesitation about where to begin.
Katayoun Hosseinrad, untitled, 2024, acrylic on canvas, 9 x 12 inches
At first glance, the works seem remarkably similar, their compositions structured by rectangles within rectangles. As the eye adjusts, subtleties begin to emerge. In one painting, two windows float centrally within a dark ground, framing silhouettes of fronds against a Prussian blue sky. Sheer curtains flank the windows, partially covering their outer edges. Close examination reveals their laced trim, intricately rendered with symmetrical arches and circles. These exacting patterns, a near-flawless repetition of arches, create a sense of perfection that feels both artificial and meditative. The curtain edges refuse to drape or fold, their rigidity denying the illusion of fabric.
Katayoun Hosseinrad, untitled, 2024, acrylic on canvas, 9 x 12 inches
Katayoun Hosseinrad, untitled (detail), 2024, acrylic on canvas, 9 x 12 inches
Hosseinrad’s background in Persian miniature painting at Tabriz Islamic Art University informs her approach, lending her work a conceptual grounding in traditions that reject spatial and temporal depth. Miniature painting emphasizes iconic forms — symbols of their subjects — over lifelike illusionism. This influence is evident but not restrictive in her practice. In one piece, cherries spill from a bowl, nearly identical in form, their smooth red surfaces subtly modeled to suggest volume. Their repetition, punctuated by the occasional misalignment, captures both painterly precision and an intentional detachment from physicality. This interplay of exactitude and abstraction encourages the viewer to see the cherries as more than objects; they take on a deeper meaning, pushing beyond representation to explore memory and loss.
Katayoun Hosseinrad, untitled, 2024, acrylic on canvas, 9 x 12 inches
Hosseinrad’s most compelling works embrace compressed perspectives. In one painting, a frame — ambiguous in function — directs the gaze outward to treetops swaying under the scumbled atmosphere of a snowy sky. Clear, precise brushstrokes define the trees, while the surrounding sky, softened by sanding, unifies the image. This interplay of precision and texture creates friction, compressing the viewer’s experience into a confined space that simultaneously invites and denies entry. When controlled, Hosseinrad’s sanding directs the eye between these spaces, but at times, the sanding overextends, breaking the illusion and interrupting the experience.
Katayoun Hosseinrad, untitled, 2024, acrylic on canvas, 9 x 12 inches
In a recent conversation, Hosseinrad reflected on this tension between interior and exterior. For her, the absence within these interior spaces embodies a sense of sorrow and loss. Drawing from the starkness of brutalist architecture, her compositions are blocky and constraining yet offer glimpses outward. These views, however, provide little relief; they suggest longing rather than escape. Sanding, a technique she uses in most of her paintings, becomes a bridge in this dichotomy, blending clarity and erasure into a single gesture. The softened surface echoes the fragility of memory, a struggle to remember or suppress earlier times.
Katayoun Hosseinrad, untitled, 2024, acrylic on canvas, 9 x 12 inches
Installation view of Katayoun Hosseinrad’s “Realm of Absence”
Hosseinrad’s engagement with Persian miniature traditions extends beyond technique to the act of viewing itself. Miniatures, sometimes housed in books and created for privileged audiences, can also serve as shared objects — revealed and passed between individuals. This sense of intimacy pervades Realm of Absence. Each painting demands slow observation, pressing the viewer to focus deeply on its materiality and imagery. The works do not overwhelm with spectacle but instead invite quiet reflection, fostering a connection that feels deeply personal and enduring.
Realm of Absence is on view at 12.26 through December 7.
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