Nairy Baghramian

Recognised as one of the most influential artists today, Nairy Baghramian (b. 1971, IRN), who participated in WIELS’ very first exhibition in 2007, returns to its distinctive architecture with a new, previously unseen, group of works.  

Known for her sculptures, spatial organisations, photographs and drawings, Baghramian develops a practice of fearless experimentation marked by historical and conceptual acuity. She works with forms, techniques and materials derived from an abstract repertoire, often arranged in contrasting combinations between the constructed and the casted, or the literal and the conceptual. Organic matter, elaborate craft techniques and architectural constructions are drawn into her work to investigate contemporary conditions of fabrication, of labour and its produce. 

Drawing from aesthetic realms such as interior design, fashion, dance and theatre, and utilitarian objects such as naval or dentist instruments, Baghramian invokes a wide range of formal references to address bodies of all variants in their vulnerability and obstinacy. Her work invites viewers to reconsider their sense of self, space, matter and place. 

Curator: Dirk Snauwaert