Abbas Zahedi: Holding a Heart in Artifice

Abbas Zahedi’s (b.1984, UK) interdisciplinary practice blends contemporary philosophy, poetics and social dynamics with sound, sculpture and other gestures. With an emphasis on how personal and collective histories interweave, Zahedi’s interest lies within the connections found or formed around specific contexts.

Composed from a newly commissioned installation and engagement programme, Abbas Zahedi’s exhibition continues his ongoing investigations into care, grief and contemporary philosophy. Holding A Heart in Artifice affords an opportunity to think about how art, galleries and the public are interconnected through mutual support systems.

Alongside an architectural intervention in the gallery, Zahedi will work with staff and service users from a local hospital specialising in Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) – a life-support therapy that uses an artificial heart-lung machine to oxygenate the blood outside of the body of the patient. Together they will transform Nottingham Contemporary’s gallery into a holding site to discuss and share their experiences of going through the treatment and its after-effects.