Sheida Soleimani (born 1990) is an Iranian-American multimedia artist, activist, and professor. Her works have generated conversations in the field of 'constructed' tableau photography, as well as the intersections of art and protest,[1] with a focus on Iranian human-rights violations.[2]

Sheida Soleimani
Born1990 (age 33–34)
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Cincinnati,
Cranbrook Academy of Art
Occupation(s)artist, educator
Years active2015–present
Known forfine artist, activist
Websitesheidasoleimani.com

Early life and education edit

Sheida Soleimani was born in 1990 in Indianapolis, Indiana[3] and she grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio.[4] Her parents are political refugees who were persecuted by the Iranian government in the early 1980s during the Iranian Revolution.[5] Soleimani has mentioned her personal experience as an Iranian growing up in America, which made her aware of the "stereotypes of Middle Eastern culture by the West" at a young age.[6][7]

Soleimani received her BFA degree in photography from the University of Cincinnati in 2012.[8][9] She continued her studies and received a MFA degree in Photography from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2015.[10]

Career edit

Soleimani's work highlights the relationships between powerful political people, groups, governments, and corporations, in order to raise questions from the viewer.[6][7] The themes of her work are topics not often discussed in the West, for example, highlighting the women executed in Iran,[7] and the relationship between power, exploitation and oil,[11] among others. The work is often displayed as a photograph or video of a staged image, Soleimani uses various materials in the work including, soft sculpture "dolls", photography, props, masks, and cut-outs of digital prints.[12]

Her work has gained international recognitions in exhibitions[13] and on publications such as Artforum,[14] The New York Times,[15] The Huffington Post,[16] Interview (magazine),[17] Vice (magazine) etc.[18] Soleimani has presented multiple series of works, namely Medium of Exchange (2018-current),[19][20] To Oblivion (2016), and National Anthem (2015).[2] Soleimani documented her experience during the COVID-19 pandemic with a series of photographs that were featured in The New York Times in 2021.[21] In 2022, Soleimani participated in the group exhibition "Eyes on Iran" at Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park, Roosevelt Island, New York; in response to the Mahsa Amini protests.[22] Other artists in the "Eyes on Iran" exhibition included Shirin Neshat, Sepideh Mehraban, Shirin Towfiq, Icy & Sot, and Aphrodite Désirée Navab.[22]

Soleimani is currently an Assistant Professor of Studio Art at Brandeis University.[23][10] She previously taught at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).[24]

References edit

  1. ^ Biro, Matthew; Kuspit, Donald; Corso, John J.; Potts, Alex; Apel, Dora (4 April 2015). "Art and Protest". The Brooklyn Rail. Archived from the original on 2017-11-02. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  2. ^ a b Pasori, Cedar (26 August 2016). "This Artist Is Giving Voice To The Plight Of Iranian Women". The FADER. Archived from the original on 2017-12-29. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  3. ^ "Sheida Soleimani | deCordova". decordova.org. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  4. ^ "American-Iranian Artist Sheida Soleimani's Art Activism". Harper's BAZAAR Arabia. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  5. ^ "Interview with Sheida Soleimani". deformal.com. DE:FORMAL. 22 August 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
  6. ^ a b "Candid Magazine Interviews the American Artist Sheida Soleimani". Candid. 2019-10-19. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  7. ^ a b c Bess, Gabby (2016-01-22). "The Artist Making Dolls of the Women Executed in Iran". Vice. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  8. ^ "SHEIDA SOLEIMANI (Cranston, RI)". cpw.org. Center for Photography at Woodstock. Archived from the original on 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
  9. ^ "Sheida Soleimani: YANKEE GO HOME". The Visualist. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  10. ^ a b "Sheida Soleimani". Atlanta Contemporary. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  11. ^ "9 Art Events to Attend in New York City This Week". ARTnews.com. 2018-06-04. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  12. ^ "Sheida Soleimani "Civil Liberties" at Boyfriends". Chicago Artist Writers. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
  13. ^ Mclaughlin, Rosanna. "Sheida Soleimani: 'Does someone really want to buy an image of an executed woman and hang it in their home?', Studio International". Archived from the original on 2017-11-05. Retrieved 2017-12-29.
  14. ^ Morris, Matt. "Sheida Soleimani at BOYFRIENDS".
  15. ^ "Confronting photos capture women the Iranian government tried to make disappear". 19 April 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-08-13. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
  16. ^ Rao, Mallika (29 January 2015). "These Twitter-Sourced Collages Paint A Dark Portrait Of Today's Iran". Archived from the original on 2017-09-03. Retrieved 2017-12-29 – via Huff Post.
  17. ^ "Sheida Soleimani - Interview Magazine". 24 March 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-08-13. Retrieved 2017-12-29.
  18. ^ "Artists' Odes to Their Favorite Musicians". 14 October 2016. Archived from the original on 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2017-12-29.
  19. ^ "SHEIDA SOLEIMANI:Medium of Exchange". brooklynrail.org. The Brooklyn Rail. 5 June 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-09-26. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
  20. ^ "Sheida Soleimani: Medium of Exchange". contemporaryartscenter.org. Contemporary Arts Center. Archived from the original on 2018-09-26. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
  21. ^ Ruben, Jolie; Webster, Amanda; Brooks, Raillan (27 April 2021). "Making Your Own Fun". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  22. ^ a b Heinrich, Will (2022-12-08). "With 'Eyes on Iran,' Artists Bring Protests to Roosevelt Island". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  23. ^ "Sheida Soleimani - Brandeis University". www.brandeis.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2018-09-20.
  24. ^ "An Artist Considers the Absurdity of Ending the Iran Nuclear Deal". Hyperallergic. 2018-05-21. Retrieved 2020-01-12. But according to Soleimani, who spoke over the phone with Hyperallergic while in transit to Providence, where she lives and teaches at Rhode Island School of Design

External links edit