CERCA SERIES: PASHA RAFAT

MCASD Downtown October 18 through November 30, 2003


Photo: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST.


Pasha Rafat explores the natural and artificial properties of light in the unlikeliest of places-the glare of Las Vegas. Light, as it is recorded by a camera and emitted by neon tubes, is the unifying theme of the photography and sculpture he is presenting in the Cerca Series.

The exhibition is built around the installation of RGB, three monumental photographs taken at different times of day in the same bar. Each photograph is dominated by one of the three primary colors-red, green and blue-referenced in the work's abbreviated title. The colors refer to time through the quality of light, albeit unnatural neon light. The "blue" photograph is a morning scene, "green" portrays bright daytime light, while the "red" image refers to warmth of electric light at night. Three neon sculptures-each dedicated to an individual color-further advance Rafat's exploration of light and ambiance. Across from RGB he will install what he calls "a haze of floating red."

Born in Tehran, Iran in 1944, Rafat came to the United States in 1966. He teaches photography and public art at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Cerca Series: Pasha Rafat is made possible by the Cochrane Exhibition Fund, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.