Ali Esmaeillou

Testament

Every imaginable life sort on the earth is destined to death and extinction. Therefore, it would not be surprising at all if we witness mankind in an unfailing attempt for managing death alongside their attempts for improving their environment. Throughout history, a major part of humans’ struggle has been devoted to finding a way to obviate the annihilation concept hidden in the inevitable reality of death. This is so because human race is instinctively after immortality. Among the oldest mementoes of human beings ― from plastered skulls in Jericho to the monopolistic rules of inheritance in modern times ― there are numerous examples that prove this predilection of man’s for immortality and eternity after death. However, nature has cruelly resisted this desire of humanity. That’s why the history of man’s existence on the earth is the history of their endurance, suppression and control of nature and its elements.

My works in this exhibition, like many other intellectual mementoes of mankind, are in a continuous contention with demise and oblivion. The characters within these pictures, who carry patches on their left eyes as a symbol of vision limitation, are attached to indefinite backgrounds by straps and clips and try to recognize the unidentifiable fragments of their diminishing lives. The works of this collection ― it should not be forgotten that every artistic work is the artist’s testament to influence posterity’s approach and outlook on future― are an attempt for interfering in and affecting the diachronism that we won’t be a part of anymore. In fact, this has been one of the main reasons for creating artistic works from ancient times to this very day.

Written by: Ali Esmaeillou

Translated by: Azadeh Feridounpour