Meet Maryam Amirvaghefi, Assistant Director of UArk’s FNAR Gallery, Instructor of Art and most recently, Curator of ‘Foresight Prevents Blindness’, an exhibition at UArk’s FNAR Gallery featuring artworks created by artists intimately connected to the region known as the Middle East.
With works ranging from narrative-driven video, to meticulously hand-embroidered patterns and beading, to a full-scale installation of a teenage retreat, artists Wafaa Bilal, Yasmine Diaz, Amir Fallah, Alia Farid, Jordan Nassar and Sheida Soleimani assist Curator Amirvaghefi in highlighting the unique perspectives developed from, as the exhibition catalog states, “a life splintered by cultural history and geographical bias”.
Amirvaghefi recently agreed to answer questions about her experience during the development of the project titled, ‘Foresight Prevents Blindness’ on view at UArk’s FNAR Gallery until February 27, 2022.
Maryam Amirvaghefi Assistant Director FNAR Gallery/Instructor of Art University of Arkansas
The exhibition catalog cites World Health Day, 1976, as the source for the title, ‘Foresight Prevents Blindness’. How did you arrive at the World Health Organization’s focus on preventative measures against blindness as an intersection for the artworks presented?
MA: When I was thinking about the title for this show, I was thinking about finding something that shows the reason behind why I decided to curate this show instead of something directly related to the Middle East. In 1976, many countries in the Middle East issued commemorative stamps for the occasion, including Iran, which featured an eye embedded in an impossible square, itself being an optical illusion. For me, the idea of preventing blindness is similar to fighting against stereotypes, the stereotypes of calligraphy and veiled women that so many people think of when they think of Middle Eastern. I believe the selected information that people receive from the news is an optical illusion.
The idea that culture and identity can be global, reaching beyond geographical locations, is woven throughout the exhibition. What interested you in this point of view?
MA: As I began to think through various aspects of the exhibition, I felt it was important to include artists from different countries throughout the Middle East. In addition, I wanted to have a variety of artists born in the Middle East and living in the U.S.; artists who may have been born in the U.S. but have cultural connections to the Middle East, and artists born in the Middle East then stayed there. Not surprisingly, each artist captured unique stories and commentary related to their specific history.
What was the time span from inception to actualization while researching artists and their work?
MA: The core of the idea was the same from the beginning to the end, but artists and work changed several times. Putting together a show based on the geographical location creates a lot of limitations for a curator. There are 18 countries in the Middle East, and because of shipping restrictions, I had to find Middle Eastern artists currently living and working in or around the U.S. I was challenged by my desire to maintain variety and at the same time include artists who related to the ‘awareness’ idea in my mind.
Not only are you a curator, but you are also a working artist. Did you ever consider your artwork in dialog with those included in the exhibition?
MA: Yes, as a native of Tehran who moved to the U.S. in 2015, I've had a complicated relationship with both the U.S. and my home country of Iran. Due to policies enacted by the U.S. government, I can't return home, yet I don't feel like I am accepted as a citizen within this country either. The sense of 'floating' between various spaces (geographically, politically, religiously, and culturally) became more pronounced, prompting me to look at other Middle Eastern artists whose work is also based on complicated relationships with their culture and the U.S.
As an artist/curator, did working on this project raise any new questions for you?
MA: Definitely. I started thinking about my role as an artist and curator here at the University of Arkansas and, in general, about the balance that I would love to have in my work. I keep these questions in mind when I talk about my identity versus my individuality as an artist.
Take us behind the scenes for a moment. What decisions had to be made to present this exhibition? How often did the plan on paper match the eventual hang in the FNAR gallery?
MA: We usually start with a plan about the placement of artworks but are remain flexible in moving them around. For this show, I knew that I wanted to hang Jordan Nassar’s work facing the entrance of the gallery. It created a surprise moment for our audience upon entering the gallery. It also introduced, starting with Jordan's work, the idea of diverse voicing - the contrast between Jordan's work with Wafaa Bilal or Sheida Soleimani’s works.
Galleries can be sites for activism and social justice; as a curator, what was the greatest challenge to presenting this exhibition and its voice to the community?
MA: Part of my curatorial philosophy was to bring artists/artwork that challenge our students (many of which are first-generation and haven't left the state). Many of our students are craving to understand the world beyond this region, but I hoped to open their eyes to the wider world... not just American discussions related to both the Middle East and the U.S.; and how students from Arkansas can become more informed.
Do any of the pieces included in 'Foresight Prevents Blindness' have an uncomfortable history?
MA: Yes, works from Sheida Soleimani and Wafaa Bilal are different for me, personally.
For instance, Wafaa Bilal's work in this show: the main character in Waffa's work is Saddam Hussein, the president of Iraq when Iraq invaded Iran in 1980. It is interesting for me to see work from an Iraqi artist who has an identical feeling about Saddam as I do. At the same time, I can't escape the feeling that looking at six various-sized Saddam busts on display in the gallery is not pleasing. It reminds me of that sad moment in our history.
Also, Sheida Soleimani is an Iranian artist who used cut images of political characters' faces and hands. For me, it is not hard to figure out which politicians these hands, eyes, or lips belong to; most of them are dictators responsible for ruining our lives.
If contemplating interactions between a work of art and its viewers, do the individuals who visit UArk's FNAR gallery play an active role in this exhibition?
MA: I would say, yes, in Yasmine Nasser Diaz’s Installation! Her Installation is designed to be immersive and interactive: viewers are encouraged to come in and look at each element closely and have the experience of being in a teenager's bedroom. It is the experience of allowing someone into your room and revealing a private part of yourself.
What part of the exhibition surprised you? Are there new connections or threads of ideas that appeared to you after seeing the show fully installed?
MA: The influential role of their personality visibly present in their works! Though a common denominator is that each artist creates work referencing politics, gender, and stereotypes, if you pay attention to the artworks individually, there is something unique and personal present as well. It is one reason why these artworks are special and powerful.
One consideration you hope visitors to UArk's FNAR gallery take with them after experiencing this exhibition….
MA: I would like them to have a more comprehensive view of the Middle East, which doesn't just focus on the Middle East's media portrayals, but a more humanistic lens that focuses on how familial and governmental history has impacted individuals (and their loved ones).
