The Cost of Difference

Year : 2015
Dimension : 39 × 28 × 21.5 cm (Height × Length × Depth)
Weight : 4128 grams
Edition Size : Unique piece
Base Price : Sold
Artist : Mahmood Rafati
Material : Polished natural wood, metal chain, mixed media technique
Technique : Mixed media technique using polished natural wood to create a branching, diverse form; incorporating a metal chain to symbolize the restraint of divergence; and emphasizing the tension between organic growth and structural suppression. The technique metaphorically conveys social pressure against individuality and inherent freedom.

This sculpture presents a metaphorical image of a world where difference is treated not as virtue but as offense. A single divergent branch, restrained by a chain, suggests that freedom is allowed only so long as it conforms. *The Cost of Difference* is a visual commentary on suppression, exclusion, and the fear of the nonconforming. The branches represent possibility; the chain, a system’s fear of what it cannot control.