Sculpture Exhibition of Alireza Majidi (Lion and Sun)

Sculpture Exhibition

Artist: Alireza Majidi

Location: Negar Art Gallery , Iran

The image of the sun rising from behind a lion is engraved in ethnic memory of these people, whose “nearest memory, is the memory of the centuries”—so much that it is still inspiring for the creation of art and beauty. In the ebb and flow of history, this image has been subjected to various interpretations from different—and even contradictory—perspectives and worldviews, reminding us of the reality that what lives in the most profound layers of the memories of ancient people, will not easily let go, not even through violence, deceit and accusation.

Having taken this reality to his heart, Alireza Magidi has used that image to create his statues. He has selected his stuff for materializing the diversified images out of this unique theme, from what we call “discovered scrap metal”. Sometimes it seems that a twist or a curve in a metal piece, or a cut or fracture in a sheet with the same material, leads him to smartly make use of it, in order to create his works. Nevertheless, the end result shows no signs of banality or the useless nature of the material used for making them. The magical attraction of combining the image of a lion with the sun is so fascinating for the viewer that asking about the material seems to be beside the point.

The collocation of lion and sun, whether it is the “Leo” of the Mesopotamian, Persian, Arabic, Turkish, Jewish or Mongol zodiac, or the concomitance of the sun (as a symbol of mythological king) with the lion (as a religious symbol), or the image present at the banners of dynasties ruling this country throughout centuries, evokes the connection between heaven and earth, in which the mystery of the endurance of the image might lie.

Hamid-Reza Karami