New Perspectives and the Diaspora: Contemporary Iranian Art with Shirin Towfiq and Pantea Karimi
Thursday, Feb 6th. | 6 p.m.
Join us Thursday evening for an artist talk featuring Bay Area artists Shirin Towfiq and Pantea Karimi, moderated by Zoë Latzer, Curator and Director of Public Programs. This conversation will delve into their work featured in our current exhibition Allegedly the Worst is Behind Us, exploring how cultural backgrounds and geopolitical factors have shaped the lives and creative practices of contemporary Iranian artists in the diaspora.
Contemporary Iranian art in the United States has expanded significantly in recent decades, both in terms of the growing number of Iranian artists and the profound impact of their work on the global art scene. The evolution of Iranian art in the U.S. is deeply intertwined with the complex history of migration, political upheaval, and the fusion of diverse cultural traditions. Art serves as a tool for navigating personal identity, responding to political realities, and exploring the hybrid identities of Iranian artists living within the American cultural context.
San José-based artist Pantea Karimi examines the intersection of art and science, drawing from her Iranian upbringing to investigate the tensions between identity and geopolitical harmony. Her work engages with Western archives of Islamic architecture, botany, and scientific research, forming the foundation of her multimedia and installation-based practice.
Bay Area artist Shirin Towfiq’s work combines installation, video, photography, and tapestry to imagine and reimagine her homeland. As a second-generation Iranian refugee, her art confronts the complexities of belonging and placemaking through archival research and intergenerational dialogues within the diasporic community.
The event is free and open to the public. Please register here: New Perspectives and the Diaspora
Pantea Karimi is a multidisciplinary artist, researcher, and educator based in Northern California. She grew up in post-revolutionary Iran and her education in science and art at school was convoluted with religious indoctrination. Karimi’s art collectively explores historic, religious, scientific, and political themes using performative video, animation, sound, print, drawing, and installation. Taking the cue from her research on Iran’s religious, and scientific manuscripts and objects, Karimi’s work highlights archival materials and personal narratives reflecting upon her gender and upbringing in Iran, intertwined with conflicting political, religious, and societal issues.
Shirin Towfiq is an interdisciplinary artist working with an emphasis on installation, sculptural photography, video, and textiles. Drawing from her positionality as a second-generation Iranian refugee, her artwork explores the complexities of belonging and placemaking through archival research and intergenerational communication with a diasporic lens. She focuses on everyday practices of belonging and visual culture, as produced by migrants, and reflects on the traces of diaspora to investigate cultural memory, history, and temporality.