One hand is blackened — as if covered in oil, like an emblem of domination. Facing it, the same hand, radiant with light. Between them, a female figure suspended within the structure. “THE MUSIC HALL (THE WOUND)”, one of the central works in Arghavan Khosravi’s new exhibition, holds this confrontation within a single scene: power and hope, violence and resistance, absence and presence. *THE SHAPE OF ABSENCE*, which opened last night, runs at König Galerie’s St. Agnes space until 30 August.
From Isfahan to Berlin: The Anatomy of a Palace
The source of “THE MUSIC HALL (THE WOUND)” is the Ali Qapu Palace in Isfahan. Khosravi opens the palace façade to reveal a layered interior. On one side, a hand darkened with oil — a symbol of political domination and forced power. On the other, a glowing hand. Between them, a female figure remains suspended within the structure, pointing toward the possibility of change. In the foreground, closest to the viewer, an hourglass: the passage of time, the instability of power, the hope that circumstances may shift.
This painting is a concentrated expression of Khosravi’s practice. Iranian-born and US-based, she works across painting and sculpture, merging Persian miniature traditions with surrealism, contemporary politics, and personal narrative. She received her MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2018, following an MFA in Illustration at the University of Tehran and a post-baccalaureate in Studio Art at Brandeis University.
A Poetry of Oppositions: Reading the Full Exhibition
The title *The Shape of Absence* comes from the work *ABSENCE*: a pomegranate appears twice — once in full presence, once inverted as an empty outline. This double presentation crystallises a principle that runs throughout the exhibition: what is hidden, overlooked, or erased may still carry form, weight, and presence.
In *ECLIPSE*, a radiant hand and a blackened, burnt-looking hand meet in the embrace of a female figure. *THE WHITE FEATHER* — a sculpture first presented at the Rose Art Museum’s “BLACK RAIN” exhibition in 2023 — shows a female warrior surrounded by intricate ornamentation and translucent elements; shadows fall through and around the figure to become part of the work itself.
Khosravi’s figures do not perform suffering directly. Their expressions, when visible, remain controlled, neutral, or deliberately withheld. By refusing the visual language of victimisation, she shifts attention toward endurance, ambiguity, and the quiet force of presence.
Painting or Architecture?
The technical dimension of Khosravi’s practice is also striking: her works expand beyond the flat surface into sculptural and architectural form. Painted surfaces, shaped supports, strings, shadows, and symbolic objects are arranged across multiple layers and depths — creating a spatiality reminiscent of altarpieces or architectural interiors. The Chapel at St. Agnes speaks directly to this strategy through its own religious and architectural context.
FAQ: Arghavan Khosravi: The Shape of Absence
- Where and until when can I see the exhibition?
*THE SHAPE OF ABSENCE* runs from 17 July to 30 August 2026 at König Galerie | Chapel, Alexandrinenstraße 118–121, 10969 Berlin (St. Agnes). Entry is free; confirm opening hours at koeniggalerie.com.
- Who is Arghavan Khosravi?
Born in Iran in 1984, Rhode Island School of Design graduate. Known for a painting and sculpture practice that merges Persian miniature traditions, surrealism, and contemporary politics. She investigates themes of exile, memory, gender, and the duality of freedom and constraint.
- Where does the title “The Shape of Absence” come from?
From the work *ABSENCE*: a pomegranate appears once in full form and once inverted as an empty outline. The phrase distils the core tension in Khosravi’s work — the idea that what is hidden or erased may still carry weight and presence.
NO-26 Note
The same building simultaneously houses Jordy Kerwick’s *This Time Tomorrow* in the Vault. St. Agnes offers two very different worlds in a single visit: Khosravi’s intense dialogue with Iranian political history and the female body; Kerwick’s colour-saturated everyday mythology. Both close between 30 August and 2 September.
