Iranian Women: Painting Identities

Dr. Mehri Honarbin-Holliday

The intersection of gender, art, and identity has created new dynamics and energy in contemporary art in the Islamic Republic of Iran. While figurative art has been a significant aspect of Iranian art for centuries, drawing on the concept of the body when only partially covered or in the state of undress is categorically banned. This presentation will draw on ethnographic observations from the art practices of young women in Tehran to discuss symbolic forms of socio-political resistance. The ownership of the body and the autonomy of the mind facilitates collaborative and private sites of learning where identities are contested and constructed through painting selves.

Bio

Dr. Mehri Honarbin-Holliday is a Research Fellow in education at Canterbury Christ Church University, and affiliated to the London Middle East Institute. She is also a practicing artist and works interdisciplinary exploring the intersections of gender, identity, and art. She has exhibited her video and ceramics installations in Iran, Britain, Mexico, and the United States and is the recipient of the 2007 national award from the Art and Culture Secretariat at Tehran Municipality. Her publications include ‘For the Love of Our Oil’ in Red Pepper ( 2007), and 'Art Education in Iran: Women's Voices' in International Institute of the Study of Islam in The Modern World (ISIM) (2004). Her forthcoming publications (Spring 2008) include 'Becoming Visible; Young Women’s Narratives in Iran' for I. B. Tauris, and ‘Art and Identity in Iran’ for Safron Books. Also forthcoming is a chapter in a book on decentred qualitative research for Sage Publications. Current research projects include a European Union inter-university lifelong learning assessment at the Faculty of Education at Canterbury Christ Church University. Mehri Honarbin-Holliday is a peace activist and member of Campaign Iran and has spoken at universities nationally raising awareness about the catastrophic regional and global consequences of military attacks and sanctions on Iran.

Contact email: N.S.Al-Ali@soas.ac.uk