Exercise 1: Word into art

What particular commentaries are taking place here, and what cultural or political concerns underpin them? 

Parviz Tanavol - Heech in a cage (2005)

Heech - 'nothing'

'In my mind, it was not life that amounted to nothing, but rather nothing which brimmed with life itself' - Tanavoli, P

Tanavoli's use of the word 'Heech' has both philosophical and cultural commentary. In Sufi tradition, 'Heech' means “nothing” which usually signifies emptiness and absence however in this case it represents a state of spiritual unity and a path towards the divine/God. Tanavoli re-establishes “nothingness” to oppose Western artistic notions of emptiness doused with cynicism. His work engages in a dialogue between Iranian cultural identity and Western modernism. For example 'Heech' is interpreted, not as nothing, like despair and hopelessness, but rather a creation of everything from nothing. With this theme, 'Heech' becomes more that a word, it becomes a new definition, a new symbol, a new perspective.

Farhad Moshiri - Eshgh (Love) (2007)

'Eshgh' defined is, “love” or “passion” in Arabic, Moshiri draws from Eastern and Western artistic traditions, exploring how the concept of love carries distinct and overlapping meanings: in Persian Sufi, Eshgh represents divine love and unity between man and God, while in Western Christian traditions it holds ideas of brotherhood and love of God for mankind. Moshiri presents the word in bright colours, covered with Swarovski crystals, each one a symbol for the individuals whom make up the totality of mankind. The aesthetic transforms love or Eshgh into a spectacle, not only of beauty but as a question of consumerism. Love is commercialised to a degree in which it is impossible to recognise, if love is as it once was. Moshiri has created a dialogue between the spiritual meanings of Eshgh and love and commercialisation of this intense feeling. Moshiri evokes the feeling of love, by using the word, creating the beauty that is associated with the word, and by challenging the viewer to consider that the love for eshgh, could very well be the love for the crystals or indeed the individuals each crystal represents.

References -

• Tanavoli, P. (n.d.) Heech. [online] Available at: https://www.tanavoli.com/about/themes/heech/ (Accessed 1 October 2025).

• Bonhams (n.d.) Farhad Moshiri (Iran, b. 1963) Eshgh (Love) (Lot 62). [online] Available at: https://www.bonhams.com/auction/16393/lot/62/farhad-moshiri-iran-b-1963-eshgh-love/ (Accessed: 1 October 2025).