Roshandel, Light of the Heart is a site-specific installation by Iranian artist Hossein Golba (born 1978), whose practice spans sculpture, installation, and mixed media, often exploring themes of perception, memory, and the metaphysical qualities of light and material. Golba is known for creating immersive environments in which light, form, and spatial arrangement work together to evoke emotional and contemplative experiences. His work frequently engages with the intersections of the physical and the spiritual, using carefully constructed forms to explore human consciousness and the inner life.
Presented during the Mixed Bathing World art triennial in Beppu, Japan, Roshandel, Light of the Heart responded directly to the cultural and architectural context of the festival site. The installation combined suspended sculptural elements with carefully controlled light, creating an ethereal environment in which visitors were invited to move, pause, and reflect. The work’s composition and placement were conceived in dialogue with the surrounding space, transforming familiar architectural elements into conduits for sensory and emotional perception.
Golba incorporated a range of materials—glass, metal, and delicate textiles—chosen for their ability to interact with natural and artificial light. Through this interplay, the work produced subtle reflections, shadows, and refracted colors that shifted as viewers moved through the space. In this way, the installation functioned both as a meditative environment and as a metaphor for the interplay between inner life and outer perception, emphasizing how attention, presence, and movement shape experience.
The title, Roshandel, Light of the Heart, references the spiritual and emotional resonance that Golba seeks to evoke. By combining tangible materials with the immaterial qualities of light and space, the work invites contemplation of the ephemeral and intangible dimensions of human experience. As with Maestro’s work in Beppu, the installation was inseparable from its context; the spatial, architectural, and atmospheric qualities of the site were integral to the meaning of the work.
Hossein Golba has exhibited widely in Iran, Europe, and North America, with his work shown in major institutions and biennials, including the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art and various international group exhibitions. Across these contexts, Golba has developed a distinctive artistic language that fuses material rigor with spiritual and emotional sensitivity, consistently exploring how light, space, and form can shape human perception and reflection.
Roshandel, Light of the Heart was commissioned by Beppu Project NPO for the inaugural Beppu Contemporary Art Festival: Mixed Bathing World Triennale in Oita, Japan. The project was produced by Junya Yamaide and directed by Serizawa Takashi, with Keith Whittle serving as advisor and assistant director. This festival is notable for its engagement with site-specific and time-based media art, situated within the rich cultural and natural landscape of Beppu and the wider Oita region.
