72 Colourmarks
, 2018
Offset prints
72 prints, each 32 x 23.5 cm
© Rozbeh Asmani, Courtesy Galerie Werner Klein
Rozbeh Asmani (*1983 Shiraz, IR) is fascinated by the aesthetics of capitalism and how we repeatedly encounter these almost
every day. He is particularly interested in colours and forms that are subject to intellectual property rights and seen everywhere
in brands and advertising, such that they have entered many if not most aspects of our daily lives. As such, Asmani explores
how colour and form have helped carry the consumer world into collective memory.
The current work presents “72 colourmarks” in an abstract composition. Each colour has been registered with the German Patent
and Trademark Office by a corporation. Trade marking colours first became possible after a legal reform introduced in 1995.
However, one of the enchanting aspects of the current artwork is the way in which the colours, detached from corresponding
names, logos and products, reacquire a sense of enigma. At the same time, the public display of these registered colours serves
to underline the tightly controlled role they play in value systems elsewhere.
