Ali Zakeri b. 1959
The Eliminated or The Sons of God 53, 2015
Acrylic on cardboard
29 x 38 cm
11 3/8 x 15 in
Framed
11 3/8 x 15 in
Framed
“The Eliminated” or “The Sons of God Series' metaphorically deals with the theme of violence; an issue that is reproducing itself on a daily basis in our world in one...
“The Eliminated” or “The Sons of God Series" metaphorically deals with the theme of violence; an issue that is reproducing itself on a daily basis in our world in one way or another, yet in this case, it is an authorized, legitimate violence which even has its own audiences; it is, in fact, a most luxurious face of violence which Ali Zakeri aims to represent by erasing its superficial differences from its most primitive forms. He, therefore, leaves out those aspects which bring a sportive or entertaining look to these images, keeping only small fragments of that reality; vague lines depicting the boxing ring: a parallel for this metaphor.
The artist first faces the preliminary layer of meaning; as simply as he explains in his own words, “two people beat each other up; a very dominating objectivity in front of me”. Yet, he gradually steps beyond this frame and starts looking at the human existence as a whole within a symbolic framework which, in the artist’s own interpretation, exposes us to “a face of the modern world”. To achieve this objective, he transitions; a transition from one realm of meaning to another and to a vaster use of the metaphor; a metaphor that reveals itself through the presence of red variations in all the details.
The artist first faces the preliminary layer of meaning; as simply as he explains in his own words, “two people beat each other up; a very dominating objectivity in front of me”. Yet, he gradually steps beyond this frame and starts looking at the human existence as a whole within a symbolic framework which, in the artist’s own interpretation, exposes us to “a face of the modern world”. To achieve this objective, he transitions; a transition from one realm of meaning to another and to a vaster use of the metaphor; a metaphor that reveals itself through the presence of red variations in all the details.