1, 2, 3: Nima Nabavi
Installation view, 1, 2, 3, 2018
The Third Line is pleased to present 1, 2, 3, the first solo exhibition of Nima Nabavi at the gallery. Influenced by geometric abstraction, numeric symbolism and their connection to the natural world, Nima creates meticulous grids of ink on archival paper and in so doing, reveals the inherent beauty of our shared reality.
1, 2, 3 takes its name from the number of series present in Nima’s exhibited works: Series 1, completed over the course of five months, is comprised of 16 works where black and white grids move from the edges towards the center of each work, gradually gaining in density. Series 2 marks a progression from the previous body with the introduction of color—eight different hues appear in each work in various sequences, resulting in polychromatic ripple effects. The third and final series is a synthesis of the elements found in the previous two: color, thickness, movement and size come together to replicate methods and patterns found in living systems.
Much like in the natural world, Nima’s process resides in the use of one fundamental, irreducible element repeated into a larger motif. Each work thus becomes a self-imposed equation—a mental challenge that requires a meditative, repetitive execution. Inspired by his grandfather, a self-taught artist who used to draw endless grids, Nima’s practice also stems from interests in meditation, visions reported with altered states of consciousness, vibrational phenomena studies and quantum mechanics.
On the repetitive and meditative process of creating his works Nima said, “There was a feeling of scratching at the surface of the underpinnings of natural phenomena, getting a fraction of a glimpse of the mechanics that run the universe. It felt less like creating art, and more like unearthing secrets.”
Installation view, 1, 2, 3, 2018
