Rozbeh Asmani
72 Colourmarks, 2018
Offset prints
72 prints, each 32 x 23.5 cm
Rozbeh Asmani (*1983 Shiraz, IR) is fascinated by the aesthetics of capitalism and how we repeatedly encounter these almost every day. He is particularly interested in colours and forms that are subject to intellectual property rights and seen everywhere in brands and advertising, such that they have entered many if not most aspects of our daily lives. As such, Asmani explores how colour and form have helped carry the consumer world into collective memory.
The current work presents “72 colourmarks” in an abstract composition. Each colour has been registered with the German Patent and Trademark Office by a corporation. Trade marking colours first became possible after a legal reform introduced in 1995. However, one of the enchanting aspects of the current artwork is the way in which the colours, detached from corresponding names, logos and products, reacquire a sense of enigma. At the same time, the public display of these registered colours serves to underline the tightly controlled role they play in value systems elsewhere.