Roksana Pirouzmand's Dual-Venue Exhibition Explores Loss Through Eroding Clay Sculptures
On February 21, 2026, Roksana Pirouzmand unveiled a two-part exhibition at JOAN and OXY ARTS in Los Angeles. JOAN showcased anatomical clay casts of her and her mother, featuring works such as 'kneeling, sinking' (2025) and 'spring' (2025–26), enhanced by sound exciters that produced vibrations. Born in Yazd, Iran, in 1990, Pirouzmand relocated to the US at 21 as a religious refugee, embodying a diasporic identity. At OXY ARTS, attendees experienced 'Wave' (2026) and 'Horizon' (2026), while JOAN displayed 'dreaming, swifting, settling' (2025–26) and 'Land' (2026). The exhibitions examined generational connections and viewer engagement, set against the backdrop of US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran starting February 28, 2026, and significant historical events like the 1953 coup and the 1978–79 Iranian Revolution.
Key facts
- Roksana Pirouzmand's exhibition ran from February 21 to April 11, 2026 at OXY ARTS and February 21 to May 2, 2026 at JOAN in Los Angeles.
- The artist was born in 1990 in Yazd, Iran, and relocated to the US at age 21 through a religious refugee program.
- Works included anatomical clay casts based on Pirouzmand's body, her mother's, and previously her grandmother's.
- At JOAN, 'spring' (2025–26) featured a full body cast on steel in water that eroded clay and rusted metal.
- Sound exciters generated vibrations that gradually abraded clay sculptures, causing pieces to crack and fall.
- At OXY ARTS, a welded metal floor buckled under visitors' steps, and 'Wave' (2026) involved clay hands on bending rods.
- Pirouzmand's family practices Zoroastrianism, one of the world's oldest faiths originating in ancient Persia.
- The exhibition context included US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning February 28, 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Roksana Pirouzmand
- Jennifer S. Li
Institutions
- OXY ARTS
- JOAN
- ArtAsiaPacific
Locations
- Los Angeles
- United States
- Yazd
- Iran
- Persia