B. 1971 Tehran, Iran

Pantea Rahmani (B. 1971) studied visual arts at the University of Tehran, located in her hometown. Her work illustrates a visual quest for the epression of space, shapes, or chromatics. In a tension connecting fullness and vacuity, the absence of decors, the quasi-monochromatic aspect of her palette, and the stiff attitude of the model characterize her portraits. Beyond any representation restraining her practice to cliches or stereotypes inherent to her Iranian identity, the artist asserts herself through an intimate approach. With the representation of her own body on monumental canvases that could be readily mistaken for pencil drawings, Panthea Rahmani invites us to an inner journey to discover oneself. Her painting for the exhibition references the realities of Syrians who fought against the suppression of their government and its foreign allies, and is a homage to their bravery, and speaks to the power of hope. As eluded to in the title of the painting, “The Spring We Turned Into Autumn," the inclusion of her work vividly encapsulates the essence of hope that the exhibition resonates with.