Details

Object type

print

Title

The Return of the Crows. No 10

Artist/Maker

Zory Shahrokhi artist

Place Associated

Scotland, Edinburgh (place of manufacture)

Date

2022

Materials

ink on paper

Description

This work The Return of the Crows. No 10 and The Return of the Crows. No 1 and are by Zory Shahrokhi – a British-Iranian visual artist based in London, UK. In 2022 she undertook a residency at Edinburgh Printmakers as part of their project – In From the Margins. During her residency Zory developed a number of etching works, working closely with printmaker Florence Eckersley. The central motif in the works in Glasgow Museums’ collection are everyday birds, crows and ravens, which were seen flying away leaving a faint silhouette of themselves traced on someone's scarf, returning to pick through the rubble, or collapsing exhausted in great numbers as if to form a pile of autumn foliage. These birds recall one of Zory's earliest works, made in response to the 2003 Iraq invasion, an enduring conflict whose violence and devastation are echoed in many of today's wars around the world.

The series these two prints are from is named The Return of the Crows which the artist began in 2006. Depicting the recent destruction in the Middle East by imperialism and its call for a restructuring of power. In this work two etchings are shown one above the other. The etching shows three birds and a street curving round with piles of either rubble, rubbish, or piles of bird feathers either side and apartment buildings in various states of ruin in the background. The two birds on the bottom right of the work appear to be defending territory as a third bird arrives from the top left of the etching. The ruined buildings we see in the background and the piles of feathers on the floor are reminiscent of the thousands of children who have been killed or made homeless through war.

Credit Line/Donor

Gifted, 2023

ID Number

PR.2023.3.2

Location

In storage