BOBACK
BIOGRAPHY

Memory and place are recurring themes throughout Boback Emad's works. His pieces express a powerful geometric language, juxtaposing curves and straights with negative space. There is an inherent yearning for a sense of belonging and connection that is evident in his public sculptures. His work is an expression of his life and every piece has a story.
His focus on compositional expressions and geometric exuberance have been shown worldwide. Boback was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1963 to Iranian immigrants who soon divorced and returned to Iran. As a young boy, living back in his parents' native Tehran, he attended an American school of primarily military children. The terror of pre-revolution caused his mother to send him, at a young age to safer shores. On his own, Boback's multi-year path lead from Copenhagen to Paris, New York City, Southern California, Hawaii, Texas, until finally settling in Northern California.
Boback attended California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, and graduated with a degree in Art and Architecture in 1991. His experience as an architect enabled his innate talent and developed his passion as a sculptor. In 1992 he traveled to Mexico. While working on a preschool for orphans, he discovered welding. His work from this period reflects a spirited exploration of steel and the magic of its defiance of gravity. His study of the works of David Smith, Julio Gonzalez, and Juan Miro are deeply expressed in his work from this period.
In 2006, Bill and Melinda Gates acquired two of his pieces for their hospital in Seattle. In his work they found the playful joy of his creative spirit. His first major public arts commission came soon after in 2008. "WholeSome" built for the City of Santa Rosa, is set on a triangular site at a busy intersection in Northern California. The sculpture stands as a gateway to the city's art's district and bridges the many diverse vantage points into one iconic symbol of unity. In 2011 his first international show in Paris featured another monumental sculpture "Internal Rumors". The sculpture explores the relationship of memory and experience.
He now divides his time between his primary studio in Northern California, Puerto Vallarta Mexico, and his European workshop in the outskirts of Paris, France. His career spans 25 years and his works, some of which are monumental, are displayed in private and public collections in North America and Europe, Including Melinda French Gates Children's Hospital, Montgomery Park in Portland, Oregon, Loveland Art Museum, and in the cities of Santa Rosa and Cloverdale, California.
His focus on compositional expressions and geometric exuberance have been shown worldwide. Boback was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1963 to Iranian immigrants who soon divorced and returned to Iran. As a young boy, living back in his parents' native Tehran, he attended an American school of primarily military children. The terror of pre-revolution caused his mother to send him, at a young age to safer shores. On his own, Boback's multi-year path lead from Copenhagen to Paris, New York City, Southern California, Hawaii, Texas, until finally settling in Northern California.
Boback attended California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, and graduated with a degree in Art and Architecture in 1991. His experience as an architect enabled his innate talent and developed his passion as a sculptor. In 1992 he traveled to Mexico. While working on a preschool for orphans, he discovered welding. His work from this period reflects a spirited exploration of steel and the magic of its defiance of gravity. His study of the works of David Smith, Julio Gonzalez, and Juan Miro are deeply expressed in his work from this period.
In 2006, Bill and Melinda Gates acquired two of his pieces for their hospital in Seattle. In his work they found the playful joy of his creative spirit. His first major public arts commission came soon after in 2008. "WholeSome" built for the City of Santa Rosa, is set on a triangular site at a busy intersection in Northern California. The sculpture stands as a gateway to the city's art's district and bridges the many diverse vantage points into one iconic symbol of unity. In 2011 his first international show in Paris featured another monumental sculpture "Internal Rumors". The sculpture explores the relationship of memory and experience.
He now divides his time between his primary studio in Northern California, Puerto Vallarta Mexico, and his European workshop in the outskirts of Paris, France. His career spans 25 years and his works, some of which are monumental, are displayed in private and public collections in North America and Europe, Including Melinda French Gates Children's Hospital, Montgomery Park in Portland, Oregon, Loveland Art Museum, and in the cities of Santa Rosa and Cloverdale, California.