Arghavan Khosravi, Art In Focus: Art Production Fund, Rockefeller Center, New York, NY
“One aspect of public art that interests me is how, unlike in private galleries or museums, the setting displays works to an audience that did not necessarily come to see art. Public art broadens the spectrum of the audience and creates a larger dialogue around the work. When that public art is installed at a landmark, like Rockefeller Center, the effect is even greater. Not only does the artist gain a wider audience, but perhaps an unexpected audience, that is not necessarily made up of collectors, curators, and art professionals.”
–Arghavan Khosravi
Rockefeller Center and Art Production Fund continue their Art in Focus
partnership with the presentation of work by multidisciplinary artist Arghavan Khosravi (she/her) throughout the Rockefeller Center campus, beginning September 6, 2022.
Arghavan Khosravi is a US-based Iranian artist known for her sculptural multi-paneled paintings. Symbolism, metaphor, and abstraction are essential aspects of this exhibition. Khosravi expresses her original narrative through indirect yet symbolic language, with the intention to leave space for the audience to make their own interpretations. Instead of discussing the artist’s intention behind each element, Khosravi prefers to leave the interpretation to the viewer, and she feels strongly that audience interpretation makes it both fascinating and imperative for the work to be presented publicly.
Throughout Khosravi’s career, the history and practice of Persian miniature painting has been a main source of inspiration. Khosravi finds interest in how women are typically portrayed in a subservient or secondary role in these paintings, often lacking agency and social significance. In the monumental vinyl murals (located at 10 Rockefeller Plaza, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, the street and concourse levels of 45 Rockefeller Plaza, Top of the Rock, Radio Park and the ZO. Clubhouse) the viewer will see a subversion to this tradition, with women represented dominantly as the central figure.
The three vitrine installations (located in the lobby of 45 Rockefeller Plaza) were created site-specifically for Rockefeller Center and include works that have never been seen previously. When designing them, Khosravi was particularly inspired by the compositions of Persian miniatures. Khosravi selected these flattened compositions as the foundation of her work, while incorporating a more sculptural and immersive approach, thus once again subverting the historical painting tradition of Persian miniatures. The location of Rockefeller Center and its iconic mid-century architecture also offers an interesting dialogue and juxtaposition to the traditional miniature paintings.
“We are so thrilled to present Arghavan Khosravi’s exquisite sculptural compositions and imagery at Rockefeller Center this fall. These works are intricately detailed, offering the public an opportunity to spend time examining the complex layers and contemplating the important subjects that Khosravi explores.”
–Casey Fremont, Art Production Fund
“Arghavan Khosaravi’s work invites audiences to discover meaning through public art, an idea we celebrate at Rockefeller Center. It is our hope that when people come here to see Khosaravi’s exquisite pieces, or just happen across them on their way to work, shop or dine, the art will inspire reflection on both a personal and a community level.”-
–Eb Kelly, Head of Rockefeller Center and Managing Director at Rishman Speyer
Arghavan Khosravi (b. 1984, Shahr-e Kord, Iran) earned an MFA in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design after completing the studio art program at Brandeis University. Khosravi previously earned a BFA in Graphic Design from Tehran Azad University and an MFA in Illustration from the University of Tehran. Khosravi has participated in numerous group exhibitions, at venues such as The Currier Museum of Art Manchester, NH; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Yinchuan, China; Newport Art Museum, Newport, RI; and Provincetown Art Association and Museum, MA; among others. Khosravi is a 2019 recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation’s Painters & Sculptors Grant and a 2017-8 recipient of the Walter Feldman Fellowship. The artist’s work belongs to the collections of Those Rose Art Museum, The PAFA Museum, The Newport Art Museum and The Rhode Island School of Design Museum.
Art In Focus is a multidisciplinary program that showcases installations by contemporary artists inspired by the New York City landscape and contemporary life. Artists featured in the series will have their work displayed in a number of prominent and unexpected public locations throughout Rockefeller Center. Art in Focus is presented in partnership with Rockefeller Center and Art Production Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to commissioning and producing ambitious public art projects, reaching new audiences, and expanding awareness through contemporary art. Past Art in Focus artists include Joana Avillez, Hein Koh, Portia Munson, LaKela Brown, Lucy Sparrow, Angelica Hicks, Vanessa German, Ryan Flores, Genevieve Gaignard, Oliver Jeffers, Hiba Schahbaz, Sanford Biggers, Hilary Pecis, Maurice Harris, Lisa Congdon, Max Colby Hugo McCloud, and most recently Emily Mullin.
Art Production Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to commissioning and producing ambitious public art projects, reaching new audiences and expanding awareness through contemporary art. Past projects include: Elmgreen & Dragset,“Prada Marfa,” Valentine, TX, Ugo Rondinone, “Seven Magic Mountains,” Las Vegas, Jeff Koons, “Seated Ballerina,” Rockefeller Plaza, NYC, Zoe Buckman, “CHAMP,” LA; Raul de Nieves “When I Look In To Your Eyes I See the Sun,” Miami; Nancy Baker Cahill “Liberty Bell”, multiple cities; Sanford Biggers “Oracle”, Rockefeller Center, NY; Lucy Sparrow
