Kour Pour, a Los Angeles-based artist, has been challenging the Euro-American art historical canon for over a decade. His research project, “Re-Inventing Abstraction,” aims to correct the Western-centric narrative of abstraction in art history. Pour’s zine, inspired by MoMA’s “Inventing Abstraction, 1910-1925,” highlights the influence of non-Western art traditions on modern art.
In his latest exhibition, “Finding My Way Home,” Pour showcases shaped canvases that blend elements of Persian and Islamic iconography with Western art forms. By incorporating Persian manuscripts, Islamic tilework, and other non-Western art into his work, Pour disrupts the traditional art historical narrative.
One of Pour’s works, “For Your Eyes Only,” features redacted CIA documents from the US-backed coup in Iran in 1953, while “She Fell In Love With A Foreigner (BP)” includes references to British Petroleum and Pour’s Iranian heritage. These pieces reflect Pour’s exploration of cultural encounters and geopolitical histories.
In “Jasper,” Pour pays homage to Jasper Johns while incorporating geometric patterns from Islamic tilework. The layering of cultural references in his work challenges the canon of modern art history and invites viewers to reconsider the influences of non-Western art on Western art forms.
Pour’s shaped canvases, like “Under Construction,” blend formal elements from Malevich’s Suprematism with imagery from Persian art. By obstructing traditional imagery, Pour prompts viewers to reflect on the visual cultures that informed Western art history.
Ultimately, Pour’s work invites us to reframe the role of non-Western artists in shaping modern art history. By highlighting the influences of Persian, Islamic, and other non-Western art traditions, Pour challenges us to reconsider the origins and evolution of modern art.
