Hojat Amani is captivated by the notion of angels, which according to traditional Iranian Muslim belief are ever-present beings who accompany humans from birth to death; Muslim children are often still taught that at the conclusion of their prayers they should recite the salam gazing right and then left as a way of acknowledging the angels who record their deeds both good and bad. Amani’s angels take a variety of forms and are realized in different mediums, but his most potent versions, as here, are his fallen angels, who replicate and bear the full weight of human failings. This tragic angel, dressed in the guise of a modern young Iranian woman, appears to have literally shattered in her fall to earth; the one remaining sign of her former status—her wings, here formed of golden leaves—will soon blow away or merge with other fallen leaves.
Amani studied painting at the University of Art, Isfahan, but is conversant with a variety of mediums; like many of his peers, he draws on traditional themes and tropes, often inspired by Persian poetry and miniature paintings. He sees his angels as bringing some part of heaven to today’s mundane world.
