So-Art Club
Amplify the voice of the people
Art, Minorities and Social Change Exhibition
at Harvard University
May 2019
In collaboration with Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University, Touch Art Gallery is pleased to present "Art, Minorities and Social Change in Iran", a group exhibition by 42 young Iranian artists and filmmakers. A film screening will be presented during the reception of the art exhibition. The art exhibition will take place from May 3rd to August 15th.
The reception will take place from 6:30pm-9:00pm on Friday, May 3rd at Harvard University, CGIS South Concourse, 1730 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA 02138. The film screening will be held from 7:30pm to 8:30pm at Tsai Auditorium S010.
So-Art is a project of Touch Art Gallery whose goal is to bring together young Iranian artists who wish to address social and cultural issues in Iran. This project is the first annual art exhibition held by So-Art involving hands-on artists who share a progressive vision of women, minority rights and social change in Iran through art.
In this group exhibition we will present 42 artworks from:
Fatemeh Mozafari
Sharareh Eftekhari Yekta
Parastoo Kermani Nassab
Shima Najafi
Kaveh Sistani
Mounir Khadiviyan
Mahshid Agha Seyed Mirzaei
Saeedeh Hajiani
Esmaeil Tejarati
Neda Azizi
Hoorieh Hashemi
Mehri Langroody Poorbozorg
Fariba Farzanfar
Saedeh Hame Keshf
Nazanin Assemi
Fatemeh Amani Rad
Maryam Lori
Elnaz Karimi
Fariba Darabimanesh
Faezeh Hayati
Mahboubeh Mirzaei
Atusa Beyzapour
Milad Karimian Dorhouni
Anahita Baniasadi
Mahya Farahbakhsh
Khabat Nodinyan
Mandana rozkhush
Parisa Shafighi
Babak Javaherpour Ahmadani
Leily Nekookar
Sahar Khosravi
Seyed Mohsen Pourmohseni Shakib
Sarah Yousefi
Also we will screen 5 short films including:
Iranshahr, A film by Mahdi Kamranirad & Mari Moosavi
Freedom,A film by Arezo
History of a respectable family,A film by Iranian Minority
Under our steps, A film by Mahshid Motahar
LipStick,A film by Mostafa Rahgoshay
In this activity, SoArt is proud to honor Shahriar Cyrus, a prominent and socially engaged Iranian artist who was deprived of the right of pursuing higher education, the right of unrestricted artistic activity and in fact deprived of his citizenship rights. Despite all these restrictions, cyrus not only created valuable art, but also shared his knowledge and skills with other students. We honor the efforts of this valuable young Iranian artist and screen a documentary made about him by one of SoArt’s filmmaking students.
Goal and Mission
“So-Art” (Social Art) is an artistic club aiming at bringing together young artists who are interested in social issues and social change. Recognizing the impact of artists on society, So-Art utilizes the unique ability of artists to serve society by elevating its culture.
Go To The Online ExhibitionWe look at social art as a means to articulate social problems and shortcomings. We believe that artists, thanks to their artistic abilities and critical approach, can amplify the voice of the people. Artists can bring together different groups of people by creating an opportunity for them to achieve mutual understanding and solving their problems.
Whether we believe in “socially committed art” or “art for art’s sake,” it cannot be denied that artistic works and trends are impacted by society; yet, artists’ works also often constitute points of departure in social change and cultural enrichment. At So-Art, we believe that artists, like other citizens, carry social responsibility. At the same time, they play a more effective role in bringing about social change. As such, in collaboration with artists, we endeavor to disclose social problems. We strive to support artists to create works of art that lead to cultural development.
Go To So-ArtActivities
At So-Art, our initial step will identify the problems that minorities face and the means of relieving them. Works created by our artists will be exhibited in many galleries inside and outside Iran as well as online. We strive to create an opportunity for dialogue and an outlet for expression of creativity and talent. Our activities at So-Art will be conducted in Persian.
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