Opera Rose
Palo Gallery
30 Bond Street, New York, NY 10012
Fa Razavi
A dove and its shadow, a flag carried into the distance, a hand gesturing love and a warning, a child’s embrace, a reflection in the mirror, the safety of her lap in which the wounded lie; Fa Razavi’s ten life-sized canvases chronicle revolutions, on the battlefield, by the kitchen sink, at the artist’s easel. The symbolism of the colour green clothes the figures in a sacred urgency, inscribing their transgressions for eternity. Once signifying faith and all that is holy, the colour consecrates resistance, foregrounding the timeless sacrifices of the disciples and companions. As the narrative unfolds in the viridescent light of a memory yet to be recorded, it is unclear where heaven ends and earth begins. In Razavi’s dreamland, the pigment strips the fantasy of its fantastical, exposing the disquiet beneath every parable. As you lock eyes with the women in the green, they watch you watching them, the sand in the hourglass is steadily seeping upwards.
Interpreting the grandeur of the Renaissance, and the tragic spectacle of Romanticism, Razavi's carefully constructed compositions deliver the illusion that the scenes depicted belong to the chronicles of the past while, simultaneously, bestowing prophetic visions. Reinforced by the sighting of one painting in another, green within green, Razavi’s account defies the authority to tell reality from fiction, history now entangled with myth. Perhaps, against all odds, the nude heroes once lived, even if only in the glimpses of the real – a childhood memory of the evenings surrounded by the women in the artist’s family, their wisdom, hope and laughter. Like a mirror, the canvases reflect the nine months of painting that were ones of joy and sadness, a lot of anger, and a dash of hope.
The rights and wrongs of the viewer’s interpretation, and the space that holds the answers, remain beyond the edges of the canvas – in the privacy of the artist’s past, in the intimacy of the home, the courage to imagine a different future. As two hands extend to reach each other, it is unclear if the imminent spark of touch collapses the old or heralds the new – or, in fact, is purely a moment of compassion, in itself enough to assemble and undo.
While the stories are imagined, the prevalent sense of anticipation speaks to a very real yearning for a world in which what was taken is now returned. Every gesture of each person is reclaiming – their home, history, their bodies and voice. Here, existing in the space already is resistance, both in taking to the streets and within the privacy of domestic space. Razavi’s vision arms the movement with words and spirit in a struggle beyond victory and loss. Fate obscured in green mist, the epic tale begins in the quotidian quiet. Already, the heroes climb upwards, bravely, and with each new step, the last turns to dust, along with the insurmountable violence of the present, and the past.
For enquiries, contact us at info@kollektivcollective.com.
Palo Gallery
30 Bond Street, New York, NY 10012
Fa Razavi
A dove and its shadow, a flag carried into the distance, a hand gesturing love and a warning, a child’s embrace, a reflection in the mirror, the safety of her lap in which the wounded lie; Fa Razavi’s ten life-sized canvases chronicle revolutions, on the battlefield, by the kitchen sink, at the artist’s easel. The symbolism of the colour green clothes the figures in a sacred urgency, inscribing their transgressions for eternity. Once signifying faith and all that is holy, the colour consecrates resistance, foregrounding the timeless sacrifices of the disciples and companions. As the narrative unfolds in the viridescent light of a memory yet to be recorded, it is unclear where heaven ends and earth begins. In Razavi’s dreamland, the pigment strips the fantasy of its fantastical, exposing the disquiet beneath every parable. As you lock eyes with the women in the green, they watch you watching them, the sand in the hourglass is steadily seeping upwards.
Interpreting the grandeur of the Renaissance, and the tragic spectacle of Romanticism, Razavi's carefully constructed compositions deliver the illusion that the scenes depicted belong to the chronicles of the past while, simultaneously, bestowing prophetic visions. Reinforced by the sighting of one painting in another, green within green, Razavi’s account defies the authority to tell reality from fiction, history now entangled with myth. Perhaps, against all odds, the nude heroes once lived, even if only in the glimpses of the real – a childhood memory of the evenings surrounded by the women in the artist’s family, their wisdom, hope and laughter. Like a mirror, the canvases reflect the nine months of painting that were ones of joy and sadness, a lot of anger, and a dash of hope.
The rights and wrongs of the viewer’s interpretation, and the space that holds the answers, remain beyond the edges of the canvas – in the privacy of the artist’s past, in the intimacy of the home, the courage to imagine a different future. As two hands extend to reach each other, it is unclear if the imminent spark of touch collapses the old or heralds the new – or, in fact, is purely a moment of compassion, in itself enough to assemble and undo.
While the stories are imagined, the prevalent sense of anticipation speaks to a very real yearning for a world in which what was taken is now returned. Every gesture of each person is reclaiming – their home, history, their bodies and voice. Here, existing in the space already is resistance, both in taking to the streets and within the privacy of domestic space. Razavi’s vision arms the movement with words and spirit in a struggle beyond victory and loss. Fate obscured in green mist, the epic tale begins in the quotidian quiet. Already, the heroes climb upwards, bravely, and with each new step, the last turns to dust, along with the insurmountable violence of the present, and the past.
For enquiries, contact us at info@kollektivcollective.com.
28 March – 3 May 2025
Installation View: Fa Razavi: Opera Rose (29 March – 3 May 2025), curated by Kollektiv Collective at Palo Gallery. Image courtesy of Palo Gallery. Photography by Daniel Greer.
Installation View: Fa Razavi: Opera Rose (29 March – 3 May 2025), curated by Kollektiv Collective at Palo Gallery. Image courtesy of Palo Gallery. Photography by Daniel Greer.
Installation View: Fa Razavi: Opera Rose (29 March – 3 May 2025), curated by Kollektiv Collective at Palo Gallery. Image courtesy of Palo Gallery. Photography by Daniel Greer.
Installation View: Fa Razavi: Opera Rose (29 March – 3 May 2025), curated by Kollektiv Collective at Palo Gallery. Image courtesy of Palo Gallery. Photography by Daniel Greer.
Fa Razavi, Mothers "Victory“ battle scene (Snakes and ladders), 2024. Courtesy of the artist.