Retrospective Exhibition of Afarin Rahmanifar

 

My work is an expression of my life’s journey, integrating Persian heritage and 21st century Western experiences. I take great interest in investigating women’s historic roles involving works of poetry to amplify contemporary women’s voice, power and Identity. I understand the journey toward my present identity as an Iranian-American woman through these concepts: “Separation” from what one has been a part of and “Belonging” to that which is different. “Appearing” then “disappearing” then “reappearing” again. I strive to show the female body as a vessel moving through this journey, taking in new experiences for the mind to process. The intellectual and emotional parts of self are changed through the act of Separation; the changed self belongs both to the past and to the present. I intend to deconstruct and reconstruct feminine figures, and portray the female as desiring not just beauty, poetry and seduction, but also desiring, as does the artist herself, to tell my stories, which have shaped my life as a woman. As part of my work, I am concerned with the absence of women’s voice and hope to evaluate such diverse issues as subjectivity, knowledge, power, sexuality, memory, and collective cultural identity. I depict women as protagonist characters in both Eastern and Western societies. These ideal feminine figures are seeking to visually challenge the dominant power imposed by repressed societies in both cultures. The “Enlightening”, “Women, Life, Freedom” is the most recent series I produced for the exhibition titled “Iranian Voices” “Women in Solidarity”. I curated this exhibition at Soho20 Gallery. I curated this exhibition at Soho20 Gallery. The purpose of this curatorial exhibition/project is to reflect upon the recent uprising and protests of young women in Iran. The “Enlightening” series are stories of these protagonist Iranian women and their feminine energy. The visual depiction of their stories translates to finding a safe and comfortable place for me as a woman