Common Space (2012), Terrestrial Ball (2010), Hydrogen atom on the left, far star on the right (2012)

In Common Space, microscopes and telescopes have been combined or ‘interfaced’ to form new entities. With their lenses and mirrors rendered inaccessible, the observer is excluded from viewing. These new amalgamations suggest an internal operation between these newly transformed scientific tools, creating a conceptual void as inaccessible to humans as far stars and microscopic worlds. These tools are designed to elucidate.

Terrestrial Ball comprises of all 94 naturally occurring elements on earth, from hydrogen to plutonium. It refers to a time prior to human being. Furthermore it points towards the building materials we originate from. At the same time it reminds us of a future where the impact of a comet or global warming has wiped out mankind. It is a monument about our evanescence. In the words of the artist:
‘In ways the work speaks of a reversal of technology and civilization back to the very atoms that make our environment, long before we ever arrived here.’

Hydrogen atom on the left, far star on the right is a photograph depicting two dots. The left is an early representation of a hydrogen atom, the smallest and first element on the periodic table of elements. To its right lies ‘GRB090429B’, an exploded star and one of the furthest observed points in the universe. Motallebi’s idea is that, in ways, every human activity is ought to have taken place somewhere between the two dots on this single print. Thus it contains the two peripheries of the human gaze and perception. 

Through a variety of media, Kianoosh Motallebi's works explore the transient and immaterial nature of understanding. His videos, installations and objects focus on technology, knowledge and the impenetrable nature and natural phenomena. His practice can be seen as a constant attempt to renegotiate the relationship between art, objects and technology.