Composed of hundreds of pieces of cut mirrored glass embedded in plaster, Aram blends the simple lines of modern abstraction with an intricate glass mosaic similar to the dazzling tile decoration of mosques and other public spaces in artist Monir Farmanfarmaian’s native Iran. While the geometric forms draw attention to line and shape, Farmanfarmaian also plays with the effects of light and reflection that are inherent qualities of glass. Bits of color are added by painting on the reverse side of the glass with oil paint. While the overall form of the work is geometric, the individually cut pieces are irregular and organic, integrating the organization of the Persian garden with natural shapes found on flower petals, leaves, and branches.

In her Convertible series, Farmanfarmaian creates wall-mounted installations that can be rearranged into different patterns. Aram can be reconfigured into twelve different compositions. Aram, which means “calm” in Farsi (Persian), reveals the artist’s love of the garden and alludes to the space as one meant for introspection. This arrangement of the work also references the star-shaped fountain often found at the center of gardens laid out in the Persian style.

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian (Iranian, 1922–2019), Aram, from the Convertible series. Mirror, reverse-glass painting, and plaster on wood, 2015. 77 × 77 × 1 in. (195.6 × 195.6 × 2.5 cm). Purchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott, 2018.15a–f. On view in Gallery 9.