Encompassing several bodies of work created over decades, Farhad Moshiri: Go West explores the artist’s varied subject matter, deft use of language, and wide-ranging materials and methods. Moshiri addresses contemporary Iran’s traditions and historic isolationism, and simultaneously acknowledges the powerful appeal and influence of Western culture in his homeland. Born in 1963 in Shiraz, Iran, Moshiri spent a portion of his formative years in the United States during the Iranian Revolution, returning to Iran years later as a young adult and artist.

The exhibition brings together paintings and sculptures that have never been displayed together, many of which are traveling to the United States for the first time. Highlighting Moshiri’s artistic techniques and the subtle transformations unfolding in his work, Go West reveals his evolution as both a painter and a sculptor.

The exhibition is curated by José Carlos Diaz, The Warhol’s chief curator.

Farhad Moshiri: Go West is generously supported by The Fine Foundation, Piaget, Galerie Perrotin, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, The Third Line, Dubai, The Soudavar Memorial Foundation, The Farjam Foundation, The Khazaei Foundation, Maryam and Edward Eisler, Navid Mirtorabi, Ziba Franks, Elie Khouri, Fatima and Essi Maleki, Nazee Moinian, Mahshid and Jamshid Ehsani, and Narmina and Javad Marandi.
Farhad Moshiri: Go West was produced to accompany the 2017 exhibition of the same name. Moshiri’s richly embellished paintings and sculptures explore the intersection of eastern and western popular culture, the tension between traditional craft and contemporary art practice, and the malleable nature of identity. The volume includes essays by contemporary art history scholars and is illustrated with full-color images of pieces in the exhibition as well as documentary photographs of the artist at work.

Mitra M. Abbaspour, Shiva Balaghi, and Jose Diaz
Limited edition hardcover (four versions), 132 pages, 68 illustrations
The Andy Warhol Museum, 2017