Anahita Razmi's Solo Exhibition The Task of the Mythologist at Carbon 12 Gallery

Artist Anahita Razmi presents her solo exhibition 'The Task of the Mythologist' at Carbon 12 gallery. The show features a collection of works that explore symbols in transition, drawing inspiration from Roland Barthes' 1957 book 'Mythologies'. Key pieces include two cotton T-shirts titled 'OASIS #1' and 'OASIS #2' (both 2026), densely embroidered with evil-eye motifs known as Nazar Boncuğu, traditional Turkish protective amulets. These garments hang suspended, blurring lines between domestic items and crafted talismans. A video installation called 'Flying Carpet' (2015–25) shows a carpet fluttering at a building entrance, drawing attention to overlooked everyday scenes. Two brass plates engraved with phrases 'YES BUT NO' and 'NO BUT YES' examine tensions between craft and originality. Islamic talismanic shirts from Razmi's ongoing 'Talismanic Polarities' series (2021–) feature buttons reading 'YES', 'BUT', 'NO', and 'AND', questioning historical origins and fluid interpretations. A digital film presents fragmented renderings of talismanic shirts with Qur'anic linguistic elements. The exhibition also includes an intervention by artist Peyman Shafieezadeh titled 'Black Square on a White Ground' (2025), a collage made from ELLE magazines that critiques media reproduction and consumption. The exhibition runs until 29 March 2026 and functions as an exploration of how meaning is constructed and reassembled through ordinary objects and symbols.