Pouran Borders

Persian-American Artist Pouran Borders taps her fascination with industrial and urban architecture in order to create strikingly beautiful scenes of a world on the verge of apocalypse. Here, the blackened man-made structures of the urban, industrial landscape painted from a low angle, in the foreground contrast and compete with the vibrant colors of the cloudy sky looming behind. The brisk brush stroke technique employed by the artist gives the work a physical texture that enhances the landscape’s visible texture while heightening the energy of the chaotic harmony inherent in each scene.

Along with the urban landscape, Borders draws inspiration from the Persian literary tradition, citing Molana, Roomi, and Kaiyam as having a great impact on her life outlook. These influences manifest themselves in her pieces’ meaning: the water towers and telephone poles peopling her work represent what Borders calls “the fragile state of our global society.” For her they show the duality of humanity, as a crushing impediment on the natural landscape while simultaneously being a fragile entity, susceptible to decay.