Poppy Garden II

Afruz Amighi (born 1974)

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

2010

This commission is a stencilled screen suspended from the museum's ceiling and lit, casting dramatic shadows on the walls beyond. Poppy Garden II resembles a large Persian carpet with a garden design. However the central Cypress tree is slowly being poisoned by the surrounding poppies. ‘Skeleton keys' hang from the tree, symbols of the Iranians who died in the Iran-Iraq ‘holy war' where children were sent into battle wearing plastic keys to ensure their entry into Heaven. The beauty of the foliage and poppies forms a contrast with the death and destruction implied by the elegantly depicted hypodermic needles and keys. The work also hints at Iran's history of opium production and the current drug problems in that country. This work will complement the large collection of Persian textiles at Bristol.

• Medium: pe-cap fabric & plexiglass
• Dimensions: 22.9 x 16.5cm
• Art Fund Grant: £1900 ( Total: £7,600)
• ArtFunded in: 2010
• Vendor: Nicelle Beauchene Gallery

Provenance

the artist

Add your comments about this artwork Hide this form

Have your say