Roshandel, Light of the Heart
Project description
Roshandel, Light of the Heart is a site-specific installation by Iranian artist Hossein Golba (b. 1956, Babol, Iran), whose practice spans sculpture, installation and mixed media. His work explores perception, memory and the metaphysical qualities of light and material, often creating immersive environments in which light, form and spatial arrangement evoke emotional and contemplative experiences.
Presented during the Beppu Contemporary Art Festival: Mixed Bathing World Triennale in Japan, the installation responded directly to the cultural and architectural context of its site. Golba combined suspended sculptural elements with carefully controlled light, creating an ethereal environment in which visitors were invited to move, pause and reflect. The composition and placement of the work were conceived in dialogue with the surrounding architecture, transforming familiar spatial elements into conduits for sensory and emotional perception.
Golba incorporated glass, metal and delicate textiles, selected for their ability to interact with natural and artificial light. Subtle reflections, shadows and refracted colours shifted as viewers moved through the space, making the installation both a meditative environment and a metaphor for the relationship between inner life and outer perception.
The title, Roshandel, Light of the Heart, evokes the spiritual and emotional dimensions of the work. By bringing together tangible materials with the immaterial qualities of light and space, Golba invites contemplation of the ephemeral and intangible aspects of human experience. The installation is inseparable from its context, with the architectural, spatial and atmospheric qualities of the site forming an integral part of its meaning.
Bio
Hossein Golba (b. 1956, Babol, Iran) is an Iranian artist whose practice encompasses sculpture, installation and mixed media. Having studied and exhibited in Europe before relocating to Japan in 1997, Golba has developed a practice concerned with the relationship between light, space, material and perception. His work frequently combines physical forms with architectural and environmental contexts to explore memory, consciousness and the relationship between physical and spiritual experience.
Golba has exhibited internationally since the 1980s, with presentations across Italy, Austria, Japan and other international contexts. His exhibitions include Scolpire il tempo IX at the Fattoria di Celle in Italy (1996), the Hakata Riverain Art Project in Fukuoka, Japan (1999), and Diversità è valore at Palazzo Pitti in Florence (2000). His later Japanese presentations include Poetics of Tolerance: Homage to Kujo at Gallery TOM, Tokyo (2017), an installation centred on his exploration of difference and value.
Golba’s work has continued to be represented in Japanese museum collections and exhibitions. In 2026, his sculpture was included in New Treasures of the Museum Collection II: Sculptures of Recent Acquisition at The Museum of Modern Art, Hayama, placing his work within a museum context alongside recent acquisitions.
Project details
Year: 2010
Artist: Hossein Golba
Work: Roshandel, Light of the Heart
Commissioned by: Beppu Project NPO
Festival: Beppu Contemporary Art Festival: Mixed Bathing World Triennale
Producer: Junya Yamaide
Director: Serizawa Takashi
Assistant Director: Keith Whittle
Format: Site-specific installation
Location: Beppu, Oita, Japan
Country: Japan