About the Artwork
Drawing on traditions of Persian and Indian manuscript painting, characterized by multifigure scenes rendered in great detail, Shiva Ahmadi combines intricate patterns with loose washes of watercolor to create a style of her own. With a surface beauty that attracts the eye, her works force viewers to confront disturbing truths that emerge upon closer looking. Here, an enthroned ruler with a blood-streaked face suggests political corruption. Mischievous monkeys and other creatures add to the chaos.
At lower left, a figure with a flaming halo indicating spiritual power sits in a colorful grotto. This is Al-Khidr (“The Green One”), a prophet from Islamic traditions who offers a path toward higher consciousness. The pale green of the painting’s background resonates with him, suggesting an ever-present possibility for wisdom and renewal.
Al-Khidr
2009
Shiva Ahmadi
born 1975
American
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Watercolor, ink, and acrylic on aquaboard
Overall: 40 × 60 × 3 inches (101.6 × 152.4 × 7.6 cm)
Paintings
Contemporary Art after 1950
Museum Purchase, Asian and Islamic Art Forum and gift of Clan Crawford, Jr. by exchange
2010.31
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Markings
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Provenance
2010-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)For more information on provenance, please visit:
Provenance pageExhibition History
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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.
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Shiva Ahmadi: Reinventing the Poetics of Myth. Exh. cat., Lelia Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery. New York, 2010, (ill.) [unpaginated].
Ecker, Heather. "Shiva Ahmadi: The Flowers of Evil." Shiva Ahmadi: Apocalyptic Playland. Exh. cat., Leila Heller Gallery. New York, 2013, (ill.) [unpaginated] [object not in exhibition].
Shiva Ahmadi. Exh. cat., Leila Heller Gallery and Skira Editore. New York, 2017, p. 107 (ill.) and p. 119.
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Credit Line for Reproduction
Shiva Ahmadi, Al-Khidr, 2009, watercolor, ink, and acrylic on Aquaboard. Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum Purchase, Asian and Islamic Art Forum and gift of Clan Crawford, Jr. by exchange, 2010.31.
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