Staffordshire St presents Abdollah Nafisi | 'I Can't Meditate' opening party

Staffordshire St is pleased to present 'I Can't Meditate', Abdollah Nafisi's first solo exhibition, which brings the artist's work together for the first time in an exploration of connection that is honest, playful, inviting and deeply philosophical.

Join us for the opening - a chance to explore the exhibition, view the art, and meet the artist. 


Info:

Thursday 15 October
18:00 - 22:00

Tickets:
Free but RSVP essential

If you are financially able, please consider donating, to keep Staffordshire St events accessible to all.


About the exhibition:

In 'I Can't Meditate’, bold, tactile sculptures, masterfully crafted from natural materials and discarded industrial waste, animate the space in distinct formations. They wait to be engaged with, to be activated by visitors through sound, touch, movement and assembly. They act as a starting point, an invitation to feel connection whether felt through presence, tension, balance, space in-between or dialogue. Moving through the sensory exhibition feels like a kind of breathing - a rhythm of attention, drifting, and returning.

For Nafisi, meditation is found not in being alone in stillness, but in connection, a practice that shapes his countryside studio, part workshop, part social space. His research in western philosophy, and time spent travelling with Iranian nomadic tribes in his twenties, lend him a sensibility for how being fully present with each other, with no agenda, through sharing, playing, eating, or simply spending time in company, can lead to deeper connection and shared understanding. Through 'I Can't Meditate', we are invited into this way of being: to move forms, to be creative, to make our own journeys, to sit with each other, to listen, and to allow space for connection to form.

Abdollah Nafisi | @abdollah.nafisi

Abdollah Nafisi [b.1982] is a British-Iranian sculptor based in West Sussex. A skilled craftsman, Nafisi works with organic materials, primarily steel and wood, treating the space between sculptural forms as a presence rather than an absence. Born In Tehran, his understanding of this space has developed through an upbringing between industry and nature and years spent living and working alongside nomadic communities in Iran. His work also uses sound to open up a dialogue about creativity, technology and connectivity with the land and oneself.

For Nafisi, a sculpture does not answer a question; it gives the question a physical presence. Sound, film and performance trace its movement towards form, as each sculpture becomes the starting point for the next question.

A graduate of the Royal College of Art, Nafisi’s work has been presented at Frieze Sculpture, Annely Juda Fine Art and Chisenhale Gallery in London. His work is in major private collections both in the UK and internationally.

Accessibility: There is step-free access to the gallery via the door to the left hand side of the main entrance. There is a wheelchair accessible toilet. The event will be taking place in the exhibition space, which is a large open room with bright lighting and some seating available. Our accessibility rider is available here.

Staffordshire St is an independent project space in Peckham, South East London. The venue facilitates arts and cultural events and provides affordable studios for artists, makers and designers. ​

Staffordshire St is not-for-profit and all income is invested into developing our public programme which launched the summer of 2022. The venue was established as an art gallery in 2017, before then it was vacant for many years after a community centre closed. Originally it was built as a Methodist Hall. We intend to support a range of cultural events for the local community.

Staffordshire St will build on the established record of these histories, opening up again to the neighbourhood and developing a welcoming interdisciplinary arts space. More information on upcoming events at : info@staffordshirest.com or @staffordshirest

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