PANTEA KARIMI: EULOGY
October 20-November 25, 2023
Eulogy, an exhibition by Pantea Karimi, highlights how women’s experiences of bodily autonomy are shaped by currently changing political and social conditions. Karimi has designed a series of square Kufic words in the Persian language about women and screen-printed the compositions on fabric to create pieces that have layers of cultural significance. Karimi’s work in this exhibition departs from and transforms Iran’s religious rituals and traditions. She repurposes the notions of martyrdom, bravery, and self-sacrifice as a means for reflection on the complex interplay between gender, religion, and social change.
Pantea Karimi
PANTEA KARIMI is an Iranian-American multidisciplinary artist, researcher, and educator based in San Jose, CA. Karimi grew up in post-revolutionary Iran where her education in science and art was entwined with religious indoctrination. Her art explores historic, religious, scientific, and political themes using virtual reality (VR), performative video, animation, sound, print, drawing, and installation. Taking the cue from her research on Iran’s historic, religious, and scientific manuscripts and objects, Karimi’s work highlights Iran’s visual culture, and personal narratives reflecting upon her gender and upbringing in Iran, intertwined with conflicting political, religious, and societal issues. Karimi’s works have been exhibited internationally including exhibitions in Iran, Algeria, Germany, Croatia, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States. She is the recipient of the Santa Fe Art Institute 2024 Sovereignty Artist Residency, the 2023-2026 Lucas Artist Program Residency at Montalvo Art Center, the 2022 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Artist Grant, the 2022 Mass MoCA Artist Residency, the 2021 University of California San Francisco Library Artist Residency, the 2019 City of San Jose Arts and Cultural Exchange Grant and the Silicon Valley Artist Laureates Award and the 2017 Kala Fellowship-Residency.