While attesting to a new phase in the artist’s orientation characterized by a novel and extensive form, Ghodratollah Agheli’s recent sculptures return to one of the most basic forms, i.e. the sphere. Agheli’s known sculptures were based on complicated and composed forms of calligraphy. In his two-dimensional works he later used silk-screen and mixed media to create miniature forms and patterns. His recent works on one hand make use of the infrastructures and labyrinthine spaces and patterns of Iranian miniatures in creating volumes, and on the other, benefit from golden, reddish-orange and dark colours popular in them, while finally making use of the language of contemporary sculpture. Sculptors such as Arnoldo Pomodoro and Lucio Fontana have shown a particular attention to spherical forms and have investigated its lyrical potentials in referring to themes such as the earth, the sun and other celestial masses as well as the eternal fruit. Agheli’s sculptures can be considered in the same line while containing, from time to time, either obvious or hidden geographical references. From a psychological and Jungian perspective, these volumes can be considered a way to self-reflection and finding a center for the self or a spiritual investigation for divine symbols. The varity of Agheli’s investigation in solid and empty spaces and his particular use of patterns can be considered a new research into the application of sphere, an investigation which in times bring into mind cosmetic forms, black-holes and nova, and other times micro-form of atomic particles. A microscopic and a macroscopic world are opened unto geometrical and frantic Iranian patterns and in times appear with brighter and more satiric colours.
These works complicated in their execution, render the simplest and most basic forms of the universe and force us to refer to the map of existence in order to find ourselves and reflect on the wonder of the first and last moment.

Behnam Kamrani
Winter 2010