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“The politics don’t swarm out at you from Nanda Sharifpour’s installation One, on view in a large corner window of Soho Lofts, Las Vegas Boulevard and Hoover Avenue. A six-line poem, rendered in English and Farsi and backlit by bright, changing colors, One offers its commentary quietly, by induction; if you prefer political art delivered like a sack of doorknobs, walk nine minutes to Main Street for Izaac Zevalking’s mural Chain Migration (Lady Liberty bent over the hood of an ICE vehicle).

But make no mistake, Sharifpour means for One to be viewed through the lenses of current events, even if its topicality comes by way of 13th-century Persian poet Saadi Shirazi. His lines (sample: “All human beings are members of one frame / since all, at first, from the same essence came”) are a wisdom-of-the-past plea for the cross-cultural recognition of everyone’s common humanity. It’s underscored by the cycling colors, color being one rather obvious notion that divides us. Such are the times that if you stand there long enough, absorbing what should be a simple, not-at-all-contentious sentiment, multiple contexts eventually barge in to complicate it, turning the 763-year-old verse into a very contemporary critique: Why do we — why do you, the viewer — “feel not for others’ misery”? Add to any day’s headlines and shake thoroughly.

Born in Iran, now living in Las Vegas, Sharifpour conceived the piece around the same time the U.S. assassinated Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, President Trump threatening to bomb the country’s “cultural sites” if it retaliated. In a video about the making of One, she says the surging tensions between her homeland and her home “pressured my heart.” > Read More

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“Multi-media artist James Stanford is no stranger to creating art that merges past and present, reality and fantasy. In fact, Stanford is best known for his artistic work exploring themes of religion and spirituality, Zen Buddhism, and the metaphysical like his famed photomontage series, “Indra’s Jewels.” Now he’s brought this talent to another project, one that features prominently in Las Vegas’ ever-transforming landscape — a new large scale mural entitled, “From The Land Beyond Beyond.”

In June the Las Vegas-based artist finished his latest piece, the 154-by-19-foot mural painting on the Neon Museum’s newly acquired Reed Whipple building, which is located directly across from the museum. Stanford was commissioned by the Cultural Corridor Coalition to help beautify downtown Las Vegas. In his effort to do so, the artist drew from worldly and fantastical themes, as well as paid homage to the city’s famous Stardust Resort & Casino and Dunes Hotel & Casino, memorializing Vegas’ famed early days. The mural’s title, “From The Land Beyond Beyond,” was inspired by the 1958 film “The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad.”

Blending hallmarks of these casino properties, Stanford depicts the astronomical-themed Stardust neon signage and Moai carved lava statues, a reference to the Stardust’s Tiki bar and restaurant. On an adjoining wall panel, the artist painted a giant sultan overlooking the landscape, a reference to the Dunes property. Stanford used Dunn-Edwards Paints to bring his creations to life, and completed the project with the help of fellow artists Nanda Sharifpour, Ali Fathollahi and Milo Duffin. In his mural, Stanford seamlessly merges the city’s past into its artistic and cultural future with these images, displaying a heritage of art, design and commerce unique to Las Vegas.” < Read More

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To date, artists from 27 nations have participated, and I eagerly anticipate the next celebration of this unique artistic genre will attract more artists from around the world.

I eagerly anticipate the next time we can all be together.

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