On May 31st, the MOCO Museum in Amsterdam held the exclusive press and VIP preview of their newest show, a retrospective exhibition of Icy & Sot. A Moment of Clarity is a comprehensive collection of works spanning over a decade of Icy & Sot's career, including pieces from private collectors worldwide, Berlin's Urban Nation, thte artist's own collection, and new, previously unseen works.
Hosted in the historic Villa Alsberg in Amsterdam's museum quarter, the exhibition is the largest showcase by the Iranian brothers. Including small canvases from their very first art show back in their hometown of Tabriz, Iran in 2008, all the way to most recent sculptural works premiered here, the showcase presents the inspiring growth and development of these two dedicated and talented creatives. With skateboarding culture iconography sparking their interest in artistic expression, their work developed from stencils, painting to installation, sculpture, photography and video works. Having their finger on the pulse of social injustice and political situation both in their homeland and globally, their engaged studio pieces and public interventions address such major topics as the refugee crisis, environmental issues and the gun control controversy in the US.
Opening the show with one of their most iconic images, a portrait of a woman wearing a hijab made of a flock of birds, Icy & Sot are taking the museum visitors on a journey that started behind the strict borders of Iran and is currently happening at their Brooklyn studio. With birds being a symbol of freedom, this poetic piece is a protest about the strict regime in their homeland, and hanging right opposite their more recent wire fence piece spelling Freedom, it is showing their constant dedication to activism and call for change through thought-provoking works. As one of the Amsterdam's more popular destinations, the MOCO Museum will be having this exhibition on view for 7 months, hopefully passing on their messages to a large number of present and future art lovers and enthusiasts. —Text and photos by Sasha Bogojev
A Moment of Clarity will be on view through January 15, 2019.
