Based in Providence, Rhode Island, artist Sheida Soleimani (b. 1990) constructs elaborate and surreal tableaux in her studio. She then photographs these meticulously prepared sets, which incorporate mixed-media backdrops, props, and symbols. Models are central to each scene, but their faces are always hidden, providing an air of anonymity, if not universality, and shifting focus to their gestures.
For her 鈥淏anner Project,鈥 Soleimani has photographed her parents with their backs to the camera, each raising a single fist. This pose, often associated with solidarity and unity, is one of many clues in the pictures that indicate her parents are political dissidents: Iranian refugees who fled their home to avoid persecution. Soleimani鈥檚 photographs shield her parents while providing suggestive, layered signs pointing to the sociopolitical landscape that shapes their lives. Picturing a variety of objects鈥攅ach a different material representation of Soleimani鈥檚 parents鈥 experiences and stories鈥攖hese banners invite visitors to follow traces, unpack allusions, and draw connections to the wave of protests taking place across Iran today.
This is part of an ongoing series of commissions that engages artists to create banners for display in the Museum鈥檚 Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art.
