{"product_id":"wet-ground","title":"Wet Ground","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"product__description__inner\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShahrokhshahi explores the slippery terrain of Ukrainian identity through an engaged, embedded and poetic approach to social documentary made on the frontlines of Russia’s full-scale invasion.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eWet Ground\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a long-term body of work by British-Iranian artist Aria Shahrokhshahi, developed through repeated stays living and volunteering in Ukraine since 2019. Made from inside the war rather than in response to it, Shahrokhshahi’s activist approach rejects spectacle in favour of proximity, focusing on the rhythms, contradictions and fragile continuities of daily life shaped by prolonged violence and uncertainty.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShot in stark black and white, Shahrokhshahi moves beyond the visual shorthand of war imagery to present scenes that are often inscrutable, absurd, domestic, performative or oblique. A recurring focus on youth and subculture finding ways to survive and thrive reflects the radical and improvised paths life in Ukraine takes in the present moment. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eWet Ground\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e lingers in the spaces around conflict, where threat, loss and anticipation shape the daily existence of a generation of young Ukrainian men and women, even as they continue to carve out moments of resistance, rebellion and joy.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book’s title links Shahrokhshahi's survival of a rocket strike while assisting in a medical evacuation of civilians from a frontline town, where wet ground prevented the detonation of a missile, to the unstable terrain of a country undergoing rapid and violent transformation, in which safety and danger exist in close proximity and the ground itself feels unreliable. Developed alongside Shahrokhshahi’s ongoing humanitarian work in Ukraine and extending the fundraising efforts of his previous publications and exhibitions,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eWet Ground\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis accompanied by his immersive documentary\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhile We Heal\u003c\/em\u003e, as well as his ongoing sculptural and installation-based works from Ukraine, forming an embodied account of a country resisting erasure while life continues under pressure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAria Shahrokhshahi (b. 1996) is a British-Iranian multi-disciplinary artist, whose practice has been shaped by a deep fascination with the intricate dynamics of diverse communities and the complexities of the human condition. With a focus on social structures and the human experience, Shahrokhshahi's work serves as a critical exploration of the relationships and power dynamics that inform everyday life.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"ul1 detail-list\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e305 x 280 mm\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e144 pages\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e70 tritone plates\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSection-sewn debossed landscape hardcover with tip-on\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"li1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublished by Loose Joints\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Loose Joints","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42668122046551,"sku":"LOOSE-Ground","price":73.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1781\/2331\/files\/wetground.jpg?v=1775617706","url":"https:\/\/charcoalbookclub.com\/products\/wet-ground","provider":"Charcoal Book Club","version":"1.0","type":"link"}