Under the Shade of the Lotus Tree: Pari Azarm Motamedi and Rozita Moinishirazi
Public Exhibition Opening: Tuesday, January 24, 6 to 8 p.m.
About the Exhibition
In Persian culture, the lotus tree represents a place of refuge, a metaphor for safety and recovery. In this exhibition, two artists, both originally from Iran, present paintings that illustrate Persian poetry and history, recent and ancient. New work by Pari Azarm Motamedi, a resident of West Vancouver, and Rozita Moinishirazi, explores themes of the Persian diaspora that resulted from the Iranian Revolution and the Fall of the Shah in 1979. In an act of translation, these artists modernize traditional Persian symbols and stories, subverting historical motifs to address current crises in their homeland.
About the Artists
Pari Azarm Motamedi, who has lived in West Vancouver for over 30 years, was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. She studied and worked as an architect and urban planner in Iran and England, before moving to Canada in 1984. Azarm Motamedi has painted for most of her life, with work exhibited at public and private venues in Iran, the USA and Canada, including at the University of Victoria, the Museum of Anthropology at University of British Columbia, and Simon Fraser University. She also works in precious metals, creating jewelry, games and furniture. A wearable chess set she designed and made won the DeBeers Award in 1994 and was shown in major Canadian cities and publications.
Rozita Moinishirazi is a multi-disciplinary artist. Having lived in Iran until the age of 21, she experienced the horrors of the Iran-Iraq war. She immigrated from Iran to Germany in 1984, settling in Canada in 1990. She studied Communication Design in Germany and continued her education at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in 2003, where she earned a BFA. Returning to Iran, she completed an MFA at the University of Tehran in 2006. As an art educator, Rozita completed her M.Ed at the University of Victoria. She currently teaches at Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Moinishirazi has exhibited her work widely across Canada and abroad.
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