Sheida Soleimani
Sheida Soleimani (born 1990) is an Iranian-American multimedia artist, activist, and professor.[1][2] She is most known for her work on Iranian human-rights violation victims,[3] and her outspoken comments on the Iranian regime.[4] Her works have generated conversations in the field of 'constructed' tableau photography, as well as the intersections of art and protest.[5]
Sheida Soleimani | |
---|---|
Born | 1990 (age 29–30) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
Alma mater | University of Cincinnati, Cranbrook Academy of Art |
Occupation | Artist |
Years active | 2015–present |
Known for | Fine Artist, Educator, Activist |
Early life and education
Sheida Soleimani was born in 1990 in Indianapolis, Indiana[6] and she grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio.[7] Her parents are political refugees who were persecuted by the Iranian government in the early 1980s during the Iranian Revolution.[8] 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.[9][10]
Soleimani received her BFA degree in photography from the University of Cincinnati in 2012.[11][12] She continued her studies and received a MFA degree in Photography from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2015.[13]
Career
Soleimani's work highlights the relationships between powerful political people, groups, governments, and corporations, in order to raise questions from the viewer.[9][10] The themes of her work are disturbing topics not often discussed in the West, for example, highlighting the women executed in Iran,[10] and the relationship between power, exploitation and oil,[14] 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.[15]
Her work has gained international recognitions in exhibitions[16] and on publications such as Artforum,[17] The New York Times,[18] The Huffington Post,[19] Interview (magazine),[20] Vice (magazine) etc.[21] Soleimani has presented multiple series of works, namely Medium of Exchange (2018-current),[22][23] To Oblivion (2016), and National Anthem (2015).[3]
Soleimani is currently an Assistant Professor of Studio Art at Brandeis University.[24][13] She previously taught at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).[25]
References
- "Sheida Soleimani". huffingtonpost.com. Huffington Post.
- "Moving Beyond the Frame: the Expanded Practices of Chun Hua Catherine Dong & Sheida Soleimani". medium.com. Medium.
- 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.
- "Confronting photos capture women the Iranian government tried to make disappear". Women in the World in Association with The New York Times - WITW. 19 April 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-08-13. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- 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.
- "Sheida Soleimani | deCordova". decordova.org. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
- "American-Iranian Artist Sheida Soleimani's Art Activism". Harper's BAZAAR Arabia. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
- "Interview with Sheida Soleimani". deformal.com. DE:FORMAL. 22 August 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
- "Candid Magazine Interviews the American Artist Sheida Soleimani". Candid. 2019-10-19. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
- Bess, Gabby (2016-01-22). "The Artist Making Dolls of the Women Executed in Iran". Vice. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
- "SHEIDA SOLEIMANI (Cranston, RI)". cpw.org. Center for Photography at Woodstock. Archived from the original on 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
- "Sheida Soleimani: YANKEE GO HOME". The Visualist. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
- "Sheida Soleimani". Atlanta Contemporary. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
- "9 Art Events to Attend in New York City This Week". ARTnews.com. 2018-06-04. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
- "Sheida Soleimani "Civil Liberties" at Boyfriends". Chicago Artist Writers. Retrieved 2019-12-06.
- 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.
- Morris, Matt. "Sheida Soleimani at BOYFRIENDS".
- "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.
- 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.
- "Sheida Soleimani - Interview Magazine". 24 March 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-08-13. Retrieved 2017-12-29.
- "Artists' Odes to Their Favorite Musicians". 14 October 2016. Archived from the original on 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2017-12-29.
- "SHEIDA SOLEIMANI:Medium of Exchange". brooklynrail.org. The Brooklyn Rail. Archived from the original on 2018-09-26. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
- "Sheida Soleimani: Medium of Exchange". contemporaryartscenter.org. Contemporary Arts Center. Archived from the original on 2018-09-26. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
- "Sheida Soleimani - Brandeis University". www.brandeis.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2018-09-20.
- "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