Re-Orientations, a group exhibit of works by contemporary women artists, remains on view from Feb 6 through March 17 at La Esquina NYC. Co-curated by Audra Lambert and Natasha Stefanovic, the show features four women artists sharing a contemporary perspective on immigration and the cultural divide between the Near East/South Asia and the US.
Photography and mixed media works works by Camille Eskell and Sheida Soleimani juxtaposed against paintings by Samira Abbassy and Dhanashree Gadiyar, linked by the common thread of the immigrant experience viewed through a contemporary feminist lens. Iranian-American artist Samira Abbassy’s lyrical, minimalist depictions of women in psychological turmoil captured the many facets of roles women play as artist, immigrant, and mother–among others. Sheida Soleimani’s work is rooted in a frank examination of contemporary politics, informed by her Iranian heritage (the artist’s parents were exiled from Iran; she was born in the US). Iraqi-American Jewish artist Camille Eskell takes an autobiographical approach in her rich, jewel-toned album-like mixed media works incorporating fabric and photography, while Indian-American artist Dhanashree Gadiyar presents neutral colored paintings incorporating thread and paper in her poignant portraits.
A look into identity in an age fraught with cultural misunderstanding and misinformation, Re-Orientations allows talented women artists to present their lives cultural reality on their own terms.
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