Zohrab Salam-zadehTrinity (2022)

‘Trinity’ draws inspiration from a faded black-and-white photograph taken in old Ganja, Azerbaijan, capturing a scene where sheets of lavash were once hung on ropes to cool and dry. From this quiet archival image, Salam-zadeh conjures a surreal transformation: instead of flatbread, three dervishes now hang clouds across the canvas. Rendered with a sense of discreet divinity, the dervishes appear as timeless custodians of the sky. One delicately places a cloud onto a suspended line, while another holds pins drawn from a ‘kəşkül’, the traditional case used for collecting alms. The third figure places the stars, completing this rhythm of a shared purpose. The composition blurs the line between ritual and miracle. Here, the everyday becomes enchanted, and the mundane is imbued with mythic significance. As with much of Salam-zadeh’s work, ‘Trinity’ invites expansive interpretation.