Mohsen Projects > Pasio

Mohsen Rafei (b. 1982, Mashhad, Iran) has received his BFA in Sculpture and his MFA in Philosophy of Art from Tehran University of Art. After one decade of making drawings, studying classical art, and holding several solo and group exhibitions, he decided on studying Sculpture academically, and as he developed a firm grasp of contemporary art, he started making interactive, audience-oriented sculptures. Rafei creates his works based on space, situation, and the presence of the audience. Rafei has held five solo exhibitions and his works have been included in numerous group shows.


“Nour Khan”
A “lightwell” is an unroofed space provided within the volume of a large building to allow light and air to reach what would otherwise be a dark or unventilated area. It can soften the constant physical, horizontal motions with a vertical , fantastical one: an upwards space that invites and encourages the audience to join in.

Now this imaginary notion turns into a real experience that continues the journey started with the earlier experiences of this space: events that were shaped by the factors of time and the space itself, turning it into one of the significant characteristics of this particular coordinate. It is an upward, spiraling route that makes loneliness visible not from behind a glass shield, but something to be experienced physically, and in a unique fashion at that.

Mohsen Rafei, “Nour Khan”, installation at Pasio, 2020
Mohsen Rafei, “Nour Khan”, installation at Pasio, 2020
Mohsen Rafei, “Nour Khan” (detail), installation at Pasio, 2020
Mohsen Rafei, “Nour Khan” (detail), installation at Pasio, 2020
Mohsen Rafei, “Nour Khan”, installation at Pasio, 2020