This sculptural display cabinet is inspired by the traditional furniture of some ancient Afghan tribes. It comprises three different sized storage boxes suspended between scissored stands. The stands are hand carved and are at slightly different heights. Each is topped by an abstract head of an animal widely mythologised in Afghanistan and West Asia. Dovetail joints are used to construct the body of each suspended unit, while the cabinet doors feature irregular abstract chip carving patterns to emulate the stars in the night sky. The work is finished with Danish oil.
Afghan artisan Naseer Yasna learned his craft in Iran from Hassan Khondani, an Iraqi master woodcarver, when he was only 13. Years later, back in Afgh ...