A Form By Which To Be Possessed

Chicago Artists Coalition is pleased to present, A Form By Which To Be Possessed, a solo exhibition of new works by the BOLT artist-in-residence, Maryam Taghavi. The exhibition will have an opening day on Friday October 1, 2021 from 5-8pm.

In this exhibition, Taghavi’s multitude of paintings exploit a single character: a sigil, an occult letter-form believed to cast a spell upon its viewer. The sigil derives from a book of talismans, The Secrets of Qasemi, by the 15th-century Persian poet and scholar, Hussein Va’ez Kashefi, in which the power of flight is promised to its viewer.

As a letter-form, the sigil operates outside the ordinary systems of language and meaning-making, making it open to unexpected possibilities. Taghavi is driven by the sigil’s transgressive qualities to transform it into numerous shapes and arrangements that make up new spells to cast. Similar to the sigil, each painting functions as an interface to behold the flight: an escape from reality, an exhilarating state of suspension, and a reach for the metaphysical powers however temporary the touch may be.

Top Image: Maryam Taghavi, m174mmm1739919, 2021, Airbrush on folded canvas, 36 x 46 inches