Dutch-Iranian artist and 550BC founder Pouria Khojastehpay has unveiled a new solo exhibition at PERMANENT gallery in Paris. The show extracts images from 550BC’s catalog of books, each of which presents an unfiltered look at the lifestyles of global crime syndicates, from the Ultras that orbit European football grounds to favela drug lords and their proclivity with flaunting exotic animals.
PERMANENT was co-founded by French-Moroccan designer Ramdane Touhami and French creative director Leonard Vernhet, both of which have made a significant impact on the world of contemporary graphic design over the past decade through work with ILL-STUDIO, as well as publications EPOCH REVIEW and USELESS FIGHTERS. The pairing felt “seamless,” Khojastehpay tells Hypeart, “evolving naturally from our mutual understanding” that stemmed from Touhami already owning most of 550BC’s highly-sought after books.
The collaboration originally sprang from PERMANENT opening a second location in the Marais district, which presented Khojastehpay the opportunity to showcase his seldom-seen portraits of the faces and stories that lie on the periphery of society, such as his latest book CARTELGRAM, which documents Mexico’s narco influencers. Khojastehpay asks: “How do these contemporary radical expressions of status and menace differ from the portrait paintings one can see in a regular museum or palazzo, depicting the sovereigns, warlords or rich merchants of centuries past?”
Courtesy of 550BC and PERMANENT
“If there was another way, many would’ve chosen it.”
Stepping out of his comfort zone, Khojastehpay supersized images from 550BC’s archives, utilizing color-blocked frames at the suggestion of Touhami and Vernhet, resulting in “a striking contrast to the darker themes” he explores. “I personally fell in love with the idea of placing bright-colored frames over large, full-wall black-and-white photo prints. Leonard’s decision to transform some of the gallery’s classic white walls into full photo prints was refreshing and drew visitors more deeply into the intense 550BC world,” Khojastehpay added.
Khojastehpay makes it clear that he does not condone the crimes that the people within his books commits. Rather, like a visual crime anthropologist, he does not judge these sub-groups either, previously telling Hypebeast Magazine that many members are “groomed from a young age. If there was another way, many would’ve chosen it.”
For those in Paris, the exhibition will be on view at PERMANENT in Paris until November 17, while the book, limited to an edition of 700, is available to purchase online for $72 USD.
PERMANENT
10 Rue Pérree
75003 Paris, France
