A Portrait of the Artist as a Builder
As a child, Shaun Nowrouzi was fascinated with assembling objects, and he dreamed of being an artist. That curiosity with building things took him down another path, however, leading to a successful career as a contractor specializing in niche markets with a focus on high-end buildouts and educational and healthcare facilities. The commercial clients of his local company Modular Contractors have included Mt. Sinai Hospital, St. Thomas University, Baptist Hospital, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, and the University of Miami.
Finally, in 2006, the long-time Gables resident created his first sculpture, inspired by a trip to Europe. “My first sculpture was after Paris, where I ran into a contemporary garden,” Nowrouzi says. “I immediately designed something and had my metal fabrication shop put it together.”
That would be his last effort at being an artist, however, until Covid shut down his company and freed him up to pursue his dream. “I was getting close to retirement, and I had such a passion to continue [creating abstract sculpture] … I made a pivotal choice to pursue my lifelong dream of becoming an artist.”
Today, Nowrouzi’s Gables back yard is a sculpture garden, filled with his abstract creations. Some are more figurative than others, like his ballet dancers, or his rendition of Charlie Chaplin, others as abstract as a purple flame. Altogether, “they dance with the landscape the pieces are set in,” he says.
That sense of harmonizing with the immediate flora is critical for a sculpture garden, says Nowrouzi, who has also had considerable experience with building ‘hardscapes’ to correlate with landscapes, i.e. the retaining walls, planters, steps, and “elevations you create” in an outdoor space to orchestrate the experience. He considers this an advantage over other sculptors when it comes to creating a full garden — right down to the detail of what pedestal would work best with what piece.
“I am trying to put all of these specialties into one practice for someone who wants to allocate an area [for sculptures],” says Nowrouzi. “I want to do the whole thing [because] it’s not just about dropping statues in a yard. You need a very specific idea about how they will sit together. It’s about the garden as a whole.”
In April, Nowrouzi held a “soft opening” for potential patrons to view his work, but the show was rained out. He plans another such event in January, aiming to connect with clients from the construction and real estate industries, nonprofits, and others. His goal is to garner recommendations to reach his ideal buyers: developers and luxury homeowners capable of investing in sculpture and hardscaping.
Nowrouzi says one of his main inspirations is Jeff Koons, the American artist who also uses metal fabrication shops to realize his ideas, frequently in stainless steel with mirror-like finishes. But he says his ideas come from other sources as well, including from his frequent visits to museums and art galleries. But, in the end, he says the best place for inspiration is right at home among his creations. “My back yard is an oasis for me to spend time, and that is when ideas come to mind.”
Shaun Nowrouzi
Contact: info@shaunnowrouzisculptures.com
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