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Photography by Io Sivertsen
Narges Mohammadi, Passing Traces, 700 kg of halva (flour, sugar, butter, and cardamom) and two wooden constructions of 4.78 x 0.80 x 2.15 m (l x w x h), 2020. As shown in the graduation exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts The Hague (KABK). Permanent collection of Het Noordbrabants Museum Den Bosch (donation). Photography by Io Sivertsen. Courtesy of Narges Mohammadi & Copperfield, London.
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700 kilograms of halva – barrels of flour, some butter, a sizzling sugar syrup, and soft cardamom – whisked and prepared by many strong hands. Collectively consumed with the bereaved, halva is a sweet treat from the SWANA region that is traditionally prepared at funerals.
Passing Traces is a narrow passage-like space made of halva. The walls give the impression of a sober bedroom interior. The furniture leaves traces of a long-lost presence. Just as life is elusive and functions according to its own rhythms, Passing Traces follows its own lawless path, slowly decaying and visibly cracking due to the colossal weight of both the material and gravity.
Many thanks to
Flora van Dullemen, Isabel Pereira, Berk Duygun, Iver Uhre Dahl, Frederica van Mastrigt, Bo Wielders, Tamim Mohammadi, Nagim Mohammadi, Siadhail Augusteijn, Lui Macrae, Philip Groubnov, Suyoung Yang, Erik Kameletdinov, Naomi Moonlion, Jeremi Biziuk, Niam Madlani, Fatima Jabor, Shirin Mirachor, Reda Senhaji, Lema Ahmadi, Ella Wang-Olsson, Leonardo Scarin, Diane Mahín, Julia Sterre Schmitz, Yannick Verhoeven, Mayis Rukel, Joost Koster, Hannah Reede, Io Sivertsen, my mother, and my grandfather.