Shahpour Pouyan’s work is a commentary on power, domination, and possession through the force of culture. His artwork seeks to transform historical or political issues into a monument of poetic and visual forms. Shahpour investigates recurrent patterns of mistakes and errors. He uses historical aesthetics and mediums, reinventing extant artifacts like chainmail, helmets, and Persian miniatures.
His work does not announce a political agenda. Instead, Shahpour grapples with materials from the political world and historic documents. The poetic qualities of power and the human condition inspire him. His recent works and projects are influenced by science, archeology, and the poetry of architectural forms that bridge past and present. He has participated in Lahore Biennial in Pakistan; Yinchuan Biennale and Beijing Biennale in China, British Museum in London; Mykonos Biennale in Greece and Kochi-Muziris Biennale in Kochi Island. Shahpour’s work is in many prominent private and public collections including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The British Museum, The Abby Weed Grey Collection of Modern Asian and Middle Eastern Art, and the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art.
During his residency, he explored the different architectural styles, aesthetics, and materials used to build window frames in St. Petersburg and used this information as inspiration for new sculptural projects. As a native of Esfahan, Iran, Shahpour also planned to explore the similarities and differences between the sister cities of Esfahan and St. Petersburg and their relationship to the West.
