Media: Retina photographs, digital prints, and acrylic on Forex
Dimension: 120cm X 90cm

“Looking at Things” supports Amnesty International’s campaign against all forms of torture, and particularly torture of prisoners. The work is inspired by Amnesty International’s recent call for a sentence of eye gouging against a man in Iran not to be carried out. According to Iranian press report, a man, known as Vahid, has been sentenced to have his eyes surgically gouged out for a crime he committed when he was 16 years old*

The work displays a chaotic system constructed by digital prints and a variety of painted patterns. The digital prints are based on medical photographs of the artist retina ; the patterns are based on landscape images seen (in almost) every person’s nearby environment, such as branches of trees. Both, the retina and the tree branches images, are removed (through a digital editing software) from their original context, and then digitally reconstructed in order to suggest a new reference in which they might be considered by the viewer.

“Looking at things” aims to emphasize the importance of vision in life. Our vision is essential in maintaining physical and mental integrity since looking at things may take various and unexpected avenues. At the end of the day, however, Vahid’s eyes (like the artist’s eyes) should never be gouged, because they remind us that a universe, which may look crazy or chaotic today can evolve in the future.

*Iran: Man sentenced to have eyes gouged out, July 2, 2005 http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news/press/16232.shtml