The Prophet; Photo Credit to Nicholas Lea Bruno
Artwork Title: The Prophet
Medium: Mixed media soft sculpture
The Prophet is a visceral soft sculpture that evokes the presence of a living, abstracted phallic figure. Activated by multiple embedded vibrators, the sculpture pulses with a subtle yet insistent motion—blurring the line between object and organism, silence and voice, embodiment and control, presence and metaphor.
The materials chosen are integral to the conceptual framework; they are not passive but speak to history, memory, concealment and control. Layers of black fabric enveloping the silicone breast are sourced from Tehran, Iran—the artist’s country of origin. These textiles are traditionally manufactured for use in mandatory hijabs.
At the center of the piece lies a striking black textile, originally a Muslim burial shroud, that was also taken from Iran. The artist dyed this cloth from its original white to black, then embroidered it with the names of Allah, Mohammad, Ali, and Fatemeh.
The composition is rich in symbolic and sensory detail: velvet, lace, cotton threads, feathers, and horn all reference the ceremonial textures and materials that shaped the artist’s memories of religious life in Iran. These elements create a dense, tactile language—where personal history, cultural critique and disbelief intersect in poetic confrontation.
