Minoo Emami: Under My Veil

September 21 – December 16, 2023 (Under My Veil)

Joseloff Gallery

September 21 – October 21, 2023 (Minoo Emami Video Work & Body Quilt)

Silpe Gallery

Themes of resistance and resilience cut through the multidisciplinary work of Iranian artist Minoo Emami. This retrospective exhibition highlights the artist’s early career as a self-taught painter, alongside experiments in sculpture, photography, printmaking, video, and installation art that come together to transform the trauma of war and oppression into objects of beauty and hope. Significantly, the exhibition will include new, never-before-seen work created over the past year in response to the ongoing Women’s Rights Movement in Iran.

The exhibition and associated programming present an opportunity to learn about Persian aesthetics, Islamic customs, and the events in modern Iranian history that inform Minoo Emami’s work, just as it is a chance to reflect on the state of human rights and social justice movements within our own geopolitical landscape.

During the first weeks of Minoo Emami: Under My Veil in Joseloff Gallery, Silpe Gallery will also feature the artist’s recent video work, as well as a collaborative artmaking activity. Visitors are invited to participate in stitching together Emami’s early “antiwar” paintings to create a massive quilt. This project will culminate in a performance by the artist and a sacrificial burning of the quilt in solidarity with those who continue to fight for human rights in Iran and elsewhere.

The community is invited to visit Silpe Gallery on the following dates to engage in quilt making with the artist: Sept. 22, Sept. 23, Sept. 26, Sept. 30, Oct. 3, Oct. 11, Oct. 18, and Oct. 21.

Artist Talk: Thursday, September 21, 5–6 p.m. in Wilde Auditorium

Opening Reception: Thursday, September 21, 6–8 p.m. in the Joseloff Gallery

Body Quilt Performance and Burning: Saturday, November 11, 2 p.m.