For many artists, one of the best ways to end the year is to have a Solo Exhibition in an amazing location and that's how I aim to say farewell to 2016. I got referred to host a Solo Exhibition at Schoenherr Gallery located in North Central College in Naperville-IL. The referral came through my good friend, great mentor, amazing artist and curator, Sergio Gomez; I couldn't be more grateful.
Schoenherr Gallery is located inside the North Central College Find Arts Center in Naperville/IL and it exhibits work from professional artists. Like many other exhibition, the planning came with its challenges. I was not allowed to write directly on the walls of the space and therefore with the full support of Nickole Lanham, the amazing Schoenherr's Gallery director, we came up with another way of doing this installation. I literally created wallpapers filled with the word "Love" for this exhibit which covers the whole back wall of the gallery space.
By the time we confirmed the details I had only few weeks to prepare for the exhibit, since I already have planned for a trip to visit my family in Australia, I had long hours of work ahead of me but that is a kind of a challenge any artist would embrace with open arms. I had the wallpaper done in the gallery space prior to my departure.
The pieces in this exhibit are once again showing my hybrid reality like many others who have chosen to call this country their new home, I am trying to adjust as much as I can but still cherishing my roots and culture with pride and hopefully that is also reflected in my pieces. The word you see on the wall and most of my pieces is the word "Love" in Farsi. I grew up during 8 years of Iran/Iraq war and I remember seeing a lot of negative graffiti decorating the walls of Tehran. I believe in power of writing and affirmation and strongly believe in circulating energy by the messages sent out to the universe. By writing "Love" over and over again I aim to showcase the power of this word and circulate positive energy for viewers once they walk in to the spaces I exhibit including my studio at Zhou B Art Center in Chicago.
I was honored to be featured in Chicago Tribune. Really enjoyed being interviewed by Jen Banowetz. You can read all about it HERE.
The opening reception happened on a snowy night and I was so grateful to see the crowd who supported the event. I had a shot talk about my journey and my works in the exhibit followed by Q&A from the viewers. There will be a second talk on January 20th at Schoenherr Gallery with more Q&A so follow me on social media for more details on that event.
Schoenherr Galley is located at 171 East Chicago Avenue, Naperville, IL 60540
My talk during the opening reception - Stay tuned for the second one on January 20th 2017.
