Untitled 

Editor: This striking bronze sculpture, known as "Untitled" by Bahman Mohasses, really captures my attention with its strange geometric figuration. The smooth, almost polished surface is so interesting. How can we consider this artwork? Curator: Well, considering the material reality, this bronze casting implies a whole chain of labor. The artist's hand in sculpting the original form is only the beginning. What about the foundry workers? The extraction of raw materials? Editor: I hadn’t thought about the laborers involved beyond Mohasses himself. So, this finished “art object” is actually a document of sorts? A record of industrial and artistic practices? Curator: Exactly! Think about the accessibility of bronze as a material too. Was this a conscious choice linked to ideas about democratization of art production, or was the ready availability of bronze at play? And note how the "finish," the surface, draws attention to its object-ness. Do you see how the statue almost presents itself as an aesthetic product? Editor: The artist chose a rather polished bronze, making it very refined. Curator: Precisely, the interplay between the "rough" origins of bronze, its material extraction and smelting, and the final sleek surface reveals how value is literally manufactured. Even the Modernist style could be viewed through the lens of material efficiency and standardization of production in early-mid 20th Century society. Editor: So, we’re really unpacking the means of production rather than just appreciating the aesthetic outcome? Curator: Indeed. The labor is not simply a precursor but is fundamentally *in* the artwork, structuring our understanding of it. Consider too where Mohasses fits within an Iranian social context as part of this reading. Editor: That adds such depth! I see the piece very differently now, understanding how intertwined the artwork is with industrial and social factors. Curator: Yes, and by analyzing the making we are also questioning art’s conventional separation from the everyday realities of labor and material consumption.