Pairing Iranian born Raheleh Filsoofi with American Dan Mandelbaum, ZieherSmith presents sculpture, video and works on paper by two singular artists from wildly divergent backgrounds. Mutually celebrating our vast history of the plastic, dimensional capabilities of traditional materials, both artists seek to transform the earth, whether digging their own clay or carving found stone.​Combining Filsoofi’s filmed performance, works of clay on paper and her signature, bitten ceramic platters with Mandelbaum’s hand-carved stone sculptures, the presentation acts as an object lesson in the conceptual capabilities of the sculptural vocabulary. In addition, Filsoofi will present two special performances during the fair. See below for details.

Raheleh Filsoofi, a 2023 Joan Mitchell Fellow and currently Assistant Professor in Ceramics at Vanderbilt University, works in ceramics, drawing, video, sound and performance and explains her approach thus: I have a nomadic and itinerant artistic practice, which involves exploring various dimensions: geographical, conceptual, temporal, and disciplinary. This approach draws inspiration from the historical and philosophical legacies of Middle Eastern travelers and scholars like Ibn Battuta and Saadi Shiraz. As an Iranian American woman, my own experience as an immigrant has deeply influenced my artistic practice, and I am driven to produce work that challenges current perspectives on ethics, politics, society, nature, and culture. 

Dan Mandelbaum, a New Jersey native currently residing in ​Mallorca, Spain, has long worked in ceramics, creating an abundant, fertile universe of happy, anthropomorphic creatures, fresh from the primordial ectoplasm of his peculiar imagination. Prior to his exile in Europe, while studying at Pratt (BA, 2014, MFA 2016) and residing in Ridgewood, Queens, Mandelbaum worked in wood, concrete, ceramic, drawing and fabric, with ceramics as a material of choice. Carrying his cherubic ​v​ocabulary of characters with him across the pond, ​h​e has shifted to stonework, placing his  work within ancient, labor-intensive traditions of carving and inlaying stone from disparate, local geological ​specimens. ​His impulsive, exuberant touch is elevated by the sheen of earthy color and texture.

Performances at Untitled featuring Raheleh Filsoofi

Wednesday, December 4th, 3:30 pm: The Hum of the Earth

Raheleh Filsoofi and musician Reza Filsoofi present a 15 minute lyrical performance that bridges cultural and linguistic divides.

Thursday, December 5th, 1:30 pm: Bite

A rare opportunity to witness Raheleh Filsoofi’s powerful 7 minute performance that symbolizes resilience and resistance in today’s political landscape.