Artist Uses her Work to make Cultural Differences in Iran

Created: November 2, 2017  |  Last Updated: January 5, 2022  |  Category:   |  Tagged:

WASHINGTON, PA (Nov. 1, 2017) -  A new exhibit is set to open in Olin Fine Art Gallery at Washington & Jefferson College (W&J), featuring the work of artist Kiana Honarmand.

The opening reception and artist talk, entitled “Behind the Black, Brown and Gold,” is Friday, Nov. 3 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. The exhibit is open until Dec. 3 but will be closed from Nov. 22 to 26 for Thanksgiving break.

“The body of work chosen for this exhibition includes pieces highlighting contemporary issues in two distinct cultures,” Honarmand wrote in her artist’s statement. “These two cultures clash in a curtain of art history, Western art, Islamic patterns, and Persian Calligraphy where the elegant script of Farsi dances on the line between poetry, visual art, and the spiritual.”

Honarmand uses both photography and other traditional methods of art to tell the plight of women in Iran. Because of her cultural identity, Honarmand feels it pertinent to address Iran’s patriarchal society, the treatment of women as second-class citizens, and Iranian laws through mixed media, sculptures, and photographs.

“’Behind the Black, Brown and Gold’ shares the latent visual impressions growing up as a female in Iran. These interpretations of my history and former identity converge with work made as a Middle Eastern woman in the United States,” said Honarmand.

Honarmand was born in Iran and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from the University of the Arts in Tehran, Iran. She also received her Master of Fine Arts, from the School of Visual Arts at Pennsylvania State University.

**All Olin Fine Art Gallery events and exhibitions are free and open to the public. The Gallery is open seven days a week from noon to 7 p.m. during exhibitions, and is closed during college breaks. The Gallery is in Olin Fine Arts Center at 285 East Wheeling Street, Washington, Pa. 15301.

About Washington & Jefferson College

Washington & Jefferson College, located in Washington, Pa., is a selective liberal arts college founded in 1781. Committed to providing each of its students with the highest-quality undergraduate education available, W&J offers a traditional arts and sciences curriculum emphasizing interdisciplinary study and independent study work. For more information about W&J, visit www.washjeff.edu, or call 888-W-AND-JAY.