Stunningly installed, on aqua and turquoise walls, “Black Rain” leads us to inhabit the world of Iranian women and girls restrained physically by chains and walls, and psychically by social convention. Arghavan Khosravi’s work crosses boundaries between painting and sculpture, incorporating repeating symbols of hair, wire, black elastic cord, golden armor, flames, and secret gardens. The protagonists of Khosravi’s work are alike: young Persian women whose lips are padlocked or whose eyes are blinded, experiencing the world through curtained windows and walled gardens.
Khosravi skillfully navigates the spaces between two and three dimensions, creating large and powerful constructions which chiefly use painted images of human beings, and three-dimensional elements of assemblage. The work draws heavily on symbols and conventions of traditional Persian miniature painting, while manipulating this vocabulary to new ends. A wall of beautiful miniatures accompanies the exhibit and provides both context and contrast.
Says Khosravi: “I’m not interested in perpetuating notions of cultural exoticism and portrayals of Iranian women as victims. My work is a vehicle for shifting power, validating personal storytelling and connecting to universal messages about human rights.”
At the Rose Art Museum through October 22nd.
A working sculptor 