Art and Empowerment: IAWF at stARTup LA 2019
stARTup’s mission is to champion under-represented and under-recognized artists, and to empower them in their careers. This includes artists of different ethnicities, sexual-orientations, genders, and abilities.
At stARTup LA 2019 we’re excited to exhibit three artists from our non-profit partner Iranian American Women Foundation, Guity Seif, Marjaneh Afkhami, and Yasaman Moradi. The mission of IAWF is to provide a platform for empowerment and networking among Iranian-American Women and to provide mentorship to younger generations of Iranians locally and globally.
With more than 5,000 members nationwide, IAWF showcases the diversity of America, empowers Iranian American women to achieve their highest potential, and contributes to the very heart of the American dream.
IAWF artist Guity Seif working in her studio
Guity Seif, the most seasoned of the three artists, developed her skills at the Fine Arts School of Tehran. Her first solo exhibition was at the Galerie Etienne De Causan in 1985. Her work moves freely between painting and three-dimensional work in sculpture.
"untitled two" by Guity Seif, 4' x 3', Oil on Canvas
Today, Guity lives between Tehran, Iran, Paris, France, and San Francisco, CA. She has exhibited in Iran, France, Canada, England, and the US. Her work belongs to the permanent collections of the Fine Arts Museum in Kyrgystan and Khaneh Honarmandan House of Artists.
“Bronze Eight” by Guilty Seif
Marjaneh was also born in Tehran, Iran and is now living in Newport Beach. This neo-expressionist artist and landscape architect works on a very intimate scale. Balance, proportion, rhythm, contrast, harmony, and unity inform her works.
Uncover My Vail by Marjaneh Afkhami, 12" x 12", Acrylic on Canvas
"Capturing the raw facial expression of a person's innermost emotions in eruption has been the focus of my paintings," she says.
"Twist Tryptic" by Marjaneh Afkhami, 12" x 4", Felt pen on Canvas
"From love to hate, bliss to rage, might to fear, hope to despair, there is an extremity to each spectrum of emotions…..in no part of the body is that phenomenon more apparent than on our faces."
Yasaman is the youngest of the three artists, born in Connecticut to Iranian parents. She received her Bachelors and Masters of Fine Arts from Sureh University of Fine Arts and Cinema in Tehran, Iran.
"My Brides" by Yasaman Moradi, 36" x 48", Mixed Media Acrylic, Gems
An emerging artist, she has exhibited her mixed media works in group and solo exhibitions throughout Iran and Los Angeles. She splits her time between LA and North of Iran, her "piece of heaven with unleashed imaginations." She calls the space linking her heaven and new home town her "green bridge" which no one else can see.
"My Inner Roumi Series" by Yasaman Moradi, 18" x 20", Mixed Media, Photograph and Acrylic
You can find a complete list of our LA 2019 Non-Profit and Community Partners on our Sponsors page.
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Feature by Content Curator Mica England