2013 - C print on reflective metal plates - six 12”x12” or 30x 30 cm panels
This work is centered on words and acronyms using both “OIL” and its Persian equivalent نفت but intentionally spelled out using those three letters “NFT” in the roman alphabet. Iran’s economy having long been at the mercy of international oil prices, export markets and now sanctions the artist thought it important to show that total dependency by not using the country’s own alphabet. In that manner Iran’s oil appears all the more out of the country’s control and contingent on external/international factors. The combination of those six letters “N.F.T.O.I.L.” stands as an acronym for the partially hidden message: “Never Forget That Oil Isn’t Limitless”. The debate is left intentionally open as depending on how one reads the words and what one’s personal bias may be ‘Isn’t” can also appear as “Is”.
The panels are printed on metal sheets to connote the cold industrialized nature of the subject. Half of the panels have an image of oil deposits as a background.
(zoom on one of the six metal plates)