SLATE is pleased to present paintings by Seyed Alavi, on view through January 13, 2023 at the newly renovated lobby at 1221 Broadway lobby in downtown Oakland.

The paintings are part of the Impromptu series, which explores the inter-relationship of color, shape, rhythm and harmony within a setting of geometric abstraction. The canvas is divided into simple geometric shapes that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Though seemingly random, there is an underlying pattern to the placement of shapes, creating a familiar scaffolding which provides a harmonizing structure to the piece as a whole.

The compositional relationship between the different colors is highly dependent on the order in which they are perceived by the viewer. For instance, one might see yellow, then orange, or perhaps start with orange and then notice grey–in this sense, the observer completes the work and on each viewing, creates a new version of the piece themselves.

Seyed Alavi received a Bachelor of Science degree from San Jose State University and a Masters of Fine Art from the San Francisco Art Institute. Alavi has achieved extensive accolades including site-specific installations for the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City, along with grants from seven institutions including the NEA/Us-Japan Creative artists’ Fellowship. He has created numerous public art projects ranging globally from California to Japan. Alavi taught classes and workshops at the San Francisco Art Institute, California College of the Arts, San Francisco State University, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. He resides in Oakland continuing an active art practice.