Artist: Mahsa Soroudi Exhibition: 7500 Miles Media: Mixed Media; Painting Website: http://www.mahsasoroudi.com
Mahsa Soroudi is an Iranian artist who was born in Tehran in 1981 and earned a BFA in Painting from Sooreh University. She grew up in an art-enthusiastic family, that supported learning about various arts and cultures. Since her father was also a painter, Soroudi stated that ever since she was little, she felt a very deep connection to the fine arts. She also mentioned that growing up, she also traveled a lot, and that helped her learn and experience different cultures and art forms. Once married, she went to live in Malaysia for almost a year, and there she learned English. Soroudi currently resides in southern California. She hopes that through her work, people can experience the lives of women as individuals and not through a filter of stereotypes and through expectations other cultures may have.
Her piece that I am focusing on is a painting that features a vibrantly colored women in front of an almost “monotone” background. It is very obvious that the main focus of the piece is the woman because, unlike the background that focuses on using darker “monotone” shades of green, orange, browns, and white, a bright pink color is used to paint the main figure. The background also seems to be a random application of those colors, with the white and green splattered on top. I can describe the colors under the green and white as almost rust-like, the colors put together mimic a rusty texture that is even further visible through the sharp scratches that can be seen in the background. It reminds me of a worn-down building. Unlike the background, the woman in the middle is very detailed and precise; painted in a single color. However, the artist still uses various shades of pink for added detail in the piece. Compared to the background that has a rough and blotchy texture, the main figure is very smooth. In addition to the main figure’s vibrant color, the woman also takes up most of the canvas space.
During an interview with Mahsa Soroudi, one of the questions that were asked was about the various artists that can be found in the exhibition. She stated that she first started the exhibition with the artists/friends she went to school with, and through those connections she found even more artists. However, currently she opened up a call for submissions in order to be able to contact a larger “pool of artists.” She hopes that with a vast number of different artists in the exhibition, it will provide different perspectives for the show. She also says that she hopes that new upcoming artists can also take part and grow through this exhibition. Another question that was asked during the interview was “What should they [US Artists] know about the work that is being done there [Iran]?” Soroudi starts off by saying that the arts in Iran are now “really dynamic and [it’s] really brave and bold,” and she also emphasizes that the artists’ works do not focus on stereotypes that are typically represented by the media. In this particular exhibition, she does not want to focus on cliché or political aspects of the art, and instead focus on the individualism found in the art. Overall in the exhibition, she wants to show that Iran is not what the media thinks, instead of being a country caring only about domestic issues, Iran is also a country that cares about global issues. Soroudi’s main goal is to present the art in a place where people can “see” it without those stereotypical and cliché filters.
The painting in the exhibit (from Mahsa Soroudi) that caught my attention was the one I described in the second paragraph. The reason it caught my attention was because of the vibrant pink color that was used to paint the main focus of the piece. I was also interested with how the pink contrasted very well with the rusty background of the painting. The background reminded me of an old worn-down building, or a rusty wall of a storage container hauled by a train. I feel like the main contrast between the pink woman and the background is the most important statement of the piece. The woman is supposed to be the center of the piece, but one might question why she is painted with only one color despite the background using more variation of colors. I believe that the woman being only one color just reflects the artists view to be “sure of themselves”. Often a mix of colors can mean uncertainty, through the single color and smooth detail of the woman, the piece reflects a sense of “certainty” and individuality. The contrasting textures of the background and the women also show that sense of certainty because the background is very worn-down and scratchy, while the lady remains smooth. I believe this contrast between the textures can also portray self-assurance because unlike the differing scratches and splotches in the background the woman can overcome those “flaws” and “accept herself.”
Overall the aesthetics of the piece is also very beautiful and eye-catching.
Brianna 