[BCMA] [MEDIA RELEASE] as water does with the moon opens at Kelowna Art Gallery

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv]

For Immediate Release

as water does with the moon opens at Kelowna Art Gallery

Moozhan Ahmadzadegan: as water does with the moon
January 31 to May 29, 2022

February 8, 2022 - Kelowna, BC: Moozhan Ahmadzadegan is the artist behind a new presentation at the Kelowna Art Gallery. as water does with the moon can be seen by both pedestrians along Water Street and visitors to The Glass Gallery space at the building's front entrance.

"For this piece, I was influenced by traditional Persian poetry and the art that often accompanied such stories," said Ahmadzadegan. "These historic and intricate artworks were often about love and frequently included fauna and flora as metaphors or tools to drive the narrative. I decided to explore this further through this installation."

Ahmadzadegan uses simplified illustrative renderings to present various elements of a story in the darkened shadow box-like space. The densely populated scene depicts various people and animals among a veritable jungle of plants, shrubs, flowers, and fruit. He invites viewers to create a narrative based on their own interpretation.

Adding an additional layer, Ahmadzadegan has utilized a phosphorescent medium that allows the imagery to illuminate in the dark. The work reads differently depending on the time of day and the amount of light (or lack thereof) entering through the North facing windows.

Using traditional imagery, Ahmadzadegan recreates past stories and presents them in a contemporary context by continuing his explorations into Persian forms of art as a means of cultural connection and expression.

as water does with the moon is displayed in The Glass Gallery space until May 29, 2022.

Moozhan Ahmadzadegan is an emerging artist based in the unceded and traditional territory of the syilx people. His practice engages personal and social inquiry to navigate themes of identity and social topics, including activism, cross-cultural expression, queerness, Iranian diaspora, and connection. He received a BFA from UBC Okanagan in 2019.

The Kelowna Art Gallery is located at 1315 Water Street in downtown Kelowna, B.C.

- 30 -

[Resources]

Webpage: https://kelownaartgallery.com/as-water-does-with-the-moon<https://kelownaartgallery.com/as-water-does-with-the-moon/>
Artist's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moozhans_art/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelownaartgallery/

[Image credits]

            Moozhan Ahmadzadegan, as water does with the moon, 2022, acrylic and phosphorescent pigment powder with acrylic medium on canvas.

            Photograph of Moozhan Ahmadzadegan. Courtesy of the Artist.

To arrange for an interview with Moozhan Ahmadzadegan, or for additional high-res images please contact:

Joshua Desnoyers
Marketing and Events Coordinator

Kelowna Art Gallery
1315 Water Street, Kelowna, BC V1Y 9R3
250-762-2226 ext. 305
josh at kelownaartgallery.com<mailto:josh at kelownaartgallery.com>
www.kelownaartgallery.com<http://www.kelownaartgallery.com>

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.museum.bc.ca/pipermail/listserv-museum.bc.ca/attachments/20220208/d925f6c6/attachment-0002.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: as  water does with the moon 01 - night.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 1474369 bytes
Desc: as  water does with the moon 01 - night.jpg
URL: <http://lists.museum.bc.ca/pipermail/listserv-museum.bc.ca/attachments/20220208/d925f6c6/attachment-0010.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: as  water does with the moon 02 - day.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 1270792 bytes
Desc: as  water does with the moon 02 - day.jpg
URL: <http://lists.museum.bc.ca/pipermail/listserv-museum.bc.ca/attachments/20220208/d925f6c6/attachment-0011.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Moozhan Ahmadzadegan.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 567034 bytes
Desc: Moozhan Ahmadzadegan.jpg
URL: <http://lists.museum.bc.ca/pipermail/listserv-museum.bc.ca/attachments/20220208/d925f6c6/attachment-0012.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Nighttime installation shot_resize.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 958829 bytes
Desc: Nighttime installation shot_resize.jpg
URL: <http://lists.museum.bc.ca/pipermail/listserv-museum.bc.ca/attachments/20220208/d925f6c6/attachment-0013.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Nighttime installation shot 2_trim_resize.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 923902 bytes
Desc: Nighttime installation shot 2_trim_resize.jpg
URL: <http://lists.museum.bc.ca/pipermail/listserv-museum.bc.ca/attachments/20220208/d925f6c6/attachment-0014.jpg>