“Night Of Prophecy” By Mobina Nouri 

2021

1001 Night Series 

60” x 60” 

Gold leaf on canvas. 

Storytelling, in the artistic practice of Mobina Nouri, is a matter of connecting the ancient wisdoms absorbed from her own, Persian, culture to her personal experiences in the modern world. In the 1001 Nights series, the artist draws from the meta- fictions embedded within Middle Eastern folklore and, through tender and densely detailed hand-drawings outlined in ink upon canvas, transposes them into a place where they might articulate both intimate and universal contemporary terrain. Each piece in this body of work explores a single vision relayed by Shahrazād whose meandering stories navigate complex territories, crossing geographies and cultures while negotiating love, tragedy, comedy, and erotica. Nouri travels through time, interjecting her own surreal elements and supernatural beings into these visions that span increasingly elaborate tales. Interweaving unexpected elements from Western and contemporary cultures such as The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli and African Bush Elephant (2020) by Crystal Morey, Nouri conjures up alternative realities. Her stories take place in a dream-moment, a coming together of layers rather than linear movement through time.