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Sheida Soleimani

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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

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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

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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

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  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
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