
Massoud Hayoun LOS ANGELES, USA, b. 1987
Life's Nectar, 2024
Acrylic on canvas
30 x 40 in
76.2 x 101.6 cm
76.2 x 101.6 cm
Copyright The Artist
The artist turning 37 prompted a series of reflections about the passing of time, in part inspired by a conversation about the ways in beauty comes into focus when we...
The artist turning 37 prompted a series of reflections about the passing of time, in part inspired by a conversation about the ways in beauty comes into focus when we acknowledge our lives are finite. Reading about Japanese Noh Theatre, Hayoun was haunted by the Noh masks that correspond to the archetypes of women; the young, beautiful girl and the old crone. He was drawn in particular to the Ryo no Ona, the mask of a spirit of an older woman whose resentments are so powerful that she carries them with her past the borders of her life, questioning the social constraints that may have caused these resentments to fester. This is a painting that advocates for seeking joy and beauty, personified here in the oversized, technicolour cake.