Ali Tahayori Returns Our Gaze at THIS IS NO FANTASY

Ali Tahayori explores the complexity of human identity in his maze-like mirror works at THIS IS NO FANTASY in Melbourne.

Centred around ways of looking, Tahayori’s solo show Looking at Me, Looking At You (3–26 August 2023) comprises wall-mounted hand-cut mirror works, hand-painted photographs, and a multimedia installation.

The Shiraz-born artist uses āina-kāri, a traditional Iranian craft, to create works that merge tiny mirrors in intricate geometric patterns with text and imagery.

In WE are Many (2023), Tahayori confronts us with our presence by offering glimpses of our reflection. The work’s patterns fragment our reflection and create a kaleidoscopic experience that differs from most contemporary mirror art—the majority of which reflect an image of the viewer ready for them to share on their Instagram feeds—Yayoi Kusama’s ‘Infinity Mirror Rooms’ (c. 1965–ongoing) and Anish Kapoor’s concave mirrors, for example.

Tahayori’s works chop and change our reflection. Our facial features shift from the familiar and apparent to the fractured and hidden. By teasing our ability to recognise ourselves, Tahayori asks us to step into the experience of someone whose identity is complex and, at times, conflicted. His work probes and masters us as though we are the subject.

The exhibition Looking at Me, Looking At You precedes THIS IS NO FANTASY’s solo presentation of Tahayori’s work at Unseen Photo Fair (21–24 September 2023) in Amsterdam.