Cultured Pallets
May 2–November 5, 2023
Temporary Exhibitions Gallery
Cultured Pallets: Aga Khan Museum by Canadian-Iranian artist Soheila Esfahani is comprised of more than 100 shipping pallets. Esfahani transforms these everyday objects, often used as platforms to transport goods and materials, to capture the feeling of in-betweenness — a space where those experiencing migration often find themselves negotiating identities and cultures.
Symbols of Transition
Inspired by a 15th-century wooden door from the Aga Khan Museum Collections, Esfahani uses the geometric pattern as a metaphor for the ongoing dialogue between cultures. Each pallet is laser-etched in a process that takes approximately 700 hours to complete across the entire installation, then hand-painted, bringing the intricate pattern to life.
Make sure to interact with the installation by shifting your perspective. Look down from the second-floor Temporary Exhibitions Gallery to uncover another layer of design painted on the top of the pallets.
Double Door, Iran, 1487–1488/AH 892, AKM707. ©Aga Khan Museum
Photo by: Aly Manji
Carriers of Culture
Following the exhibition, the ornate pallets will return to circulation, resuming their roles in a permanent state of transition between people and places — metaphorically representing the process by which cultures can be transferred and transformed.
About the Artist
Soheila Esfahani
Curated by
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Bita Pourvash