Lot 71: SEHER SHAH

B. 1975 BLACK ARCH Quantity: 6 Giclee prints on paper Edition 4 of 10 48 by 27.7 cm. (18 1/8 by 10 7/8 in.) each

Green Cardamom, London

Using the basic elements of architecture such as the wall, grid, and column, Seher Shah's work examines the formal qualities of architecture within the landscape. The Black Arch (2007) is a series of prints that frames and isolates particular elements of ornamental architecture. Using column elements from the Diwan-i-Khas in Fatehpur Sikri to gateways and thresholds from temple architecture in Khajuraho, the work isolates devices that architecture uses as points of entry into these spaces. Shah is captivated by the fleeting nature of public and private expanses. Figures with indecipherable countenances move in clusters throughout these prints, manifesting a sense of detachment and anonymity. They occupy ephemeral spaces ranging from vast piazzas to abstract geometries. She manipulates spatial perspectives within the compositions: the picture plane is tense and dynamic as Shah uproots the viewers from the anticipated homogeniety of perspective, suggesting a parallel universe. Shah continues, “The idea of impermanence and transformation does come about with the idea of what physics can do. Things deconstruct and then reconstruct themselves ... There is smoke, there are explosions, and it sort of goes in to the realm of science fiction. I like the idea of utopian drawings, courtyard spaces, and the intersection of science fiction with that.” Seher Shah received her Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1998, and currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.