Knots – Galzed ceramic mosaic  (Rendering)

European cultural tradition considers the image a representation of reality. In contrast, the cultures of the Near and Middle East are accustomed to an abstract code: physical reality—and above all, metaphysical reality—cannot be represented or reduced to an image.

Glazed terracotta tiles and figures, made with siliceous paste enriched with copper, date back to the 4th millennium BCE in Egypt. Around the year 1000, master craftsmen in Abbasid Persia developed tile designs based on complex mathematical formulas. From Persia, this practice spread toward both China and the Islamic cultures of the Near East and Southern Europe. These glazed and colored tiles were used to clad the walls of significant public spaces such as mosques, madrasas, baths, fountains, courtyards, mausoleums, and hospitals.

The tile chosen as the motif for this mosaic originates from 14th-century Iran. In the geometric style known as “Ghireh” (knots), nothing is left to chance, improvisation, or the artist’s subjectivity. The vibration and movement created by the pattern allude to the orderly construction of a cosmos in perpetual transformation.

This concept of abstraction invites a comparison with the notion of abstraction in contemporary European culture. While the two cultural models remained distinct for a long time within the figurative arts—despite some exchanges—the field of applied arts saw an extensive cross-pollination of techniques and styles. The proposed work represents an attempt at mediation between these two cultures and a dialogue between art and craftsmanship.