Iranian-Americans architects to showcase work in Los Angeles exhibition

Two Iranian-Americans, Michele Saee and Arshia Mahmoodi, are among theselected pool of architects to represent the ultra avant-garde side of architecture in the upcoming exhibition by Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles titled A New Sculpturalism: Contemporary Architecture from Southern California which includes mega architects like Frank Gehry, Thom Mayne, Neil Denari, Greg Lynn and aselect cutting edge practices from Southern California.

The Exhibition which is part of the massive "Pacific Standard Time" initiative sponsored by the Getty Museum is to take place June 16th at the MOCA in downtown Los Angeles, amid controversy surrounding the exhibition.

06.16.13 - 09.16.13 The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA

A New Sculpturalism: Contemporary Architecture from Southern California marks the first exhibition and catalogue to examine the role of Los Angeles-based architect Frank Gehry, arguably the most significant and innovative architect of the later part of the twentieth century, and the generation of Los Angeles architects that followed him, including Greg Lynn, Michael Maltzan, Thom Mayne, and Eric Owen Moss, to name a few. A New Sculpturalism focuses on this important era in American architecture and presents the first extensive examination of the built forms that characterize Southern California architecture after 1990, as well as the geographic, political, and socio-economic underpinnings of its development. The exhibition includes both large, full-scale new structures, made specifically for the show, and models, sketches, and digital presentations, which illuminate their significant achievements.

Michele Saee began his career as an architect working in Italy and moved to Southern California in 1982 to work with Morphosis. He started his own firm in 1985 and joined the faculty at Otis College of Art and Design the next year. In 1990, Saee started teaching at SCI-Arc. He has built several residences and commercial buildings both local to California and abroad. In 1995, Saee was selected as one of the "Forty under Forty" most promising American architects, and in 1997 the Architectural League of New York selected him as one of architecture's "Emerging Voices.

Arshia Mahmoodi founded VOID in Los Angeles in 2006. He received his master's degree in architecture and urban design from University of Shahid Beheshti in Tehran in 1997. Before founding his own firm, Mahmoodi formed blu_under with partner Kevin Mulcahy in 2001, and in 2003, launched null.lab, an architectural design, research, and implementation firm, with his partner Reza Bagherzadeh. Mahmoodi is the recipient of the American Institute of Architects Award for his Design of the Bobco Metals Company. His work has been published in the United States, Iran, Italy, Dubai, South Korea, and Japan. He has also lectured at California Polytechnic State University and been a guest critic at SCI-Arc, CalPoly Pomona, University of Southern California, Woodbury University, and the Los Angeles Institute of Architecture and Design.

Further info: Press Release, Profile of Project Artists, MOCA's exhibition page

SOFT OPENING OF THE EXHIBITION Sunday, June 16, 2013 11am-5pm The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA

MEDIA VIEWING AND PANEL DISCUSSION Tuesday, June 18, 2013 2-5pm

MOCA LEADERSHIP CIRCLE RECEPTION AND MEMBERS' OPENING Saturday, June 22, 2013

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Iranian-Americans architects to showcase work in Los Angeles exhibition