Articulations of the Self 10 2015

Amir Baradaran's "Articulations of the Self 10" seems to have been made with digital tools that mimic traditional drawing, resulting in a piece that feels both precise and ethereal. What strikes me is the layering; frames within frames, figures partially obscured, like memories overlapping. There’s a real sense of process here, a kind of digital palimpsest where each layer informs the next. The color palette is restricted to a range of greys, which focuses our attention on the texture of the marks, from smooth gradients to broken lines. Look at the way the figures are rendered – how their outlines bleed into the background, and how the frames seem to float in space. It reminds me of the way David Hockney plays with perspective. "Articulations of the Self 10" embraces ambiguity, a testament to the idea that art isn't about answers, but about exploring questions.