“Growing up in Iran, I felt stuck between tradition and modernity, as did many other people in my generation.”- Kiana Honarmand, 2019
The Doris Ulmann Galleries has opened an exhibition featuring works by artist Kiana Honarmand on view now until Feb. 27, 2020. The exhibit, Across the Space Separating, consists of a selection of Honarmand’s works that discuss the juxtaposition of her Middle Eastern identity and her education in Western art. Honarmand uses this duality in her identity to discuss sociopolitical issues of modern Iran, like the violation of women’s rights, as well as the Western perception of the Middle East as a whole.
Born in Iran, Honarmand is an artist who works and resides in the United States. Through the obscuring of traditional Western artwork, Honarmand discusses the issues faced by Iranian women, such as censorship and the violation of basic rights. Her work references many injustices faced by women in Iran, ranging from the imprisonment of women’s rights activists to acid attacks and stoning.
Honarmand earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from the University of the Arts in Tehran, Iran. She went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts from Pennsylvania State University in 2014. Honarmand’s work has been on display in almost 60 installations, spanning three countries and 14 U. S. states.
The Doris Ulmann Galleries are located at the corner of Chestnut Street and Ellipse Street in Berea, Kentucky. The galleries are a set of four exhibition spaces specially designed to simultaneously display objects from the Berea College Art Collection and works by visiting contemporary artists. With a collection of more than 14,000 objects as well as a select roster of working artists, the Doris Ulmann Galleries are able to provide Berea College students and the surrounding central Kentucky community with a wide variety of visual arts.
Watch the video below and join Dr. Meghan Doherty for a tour of the Doris Ulmann Galleries to learn about the kinds of exhibits displayed.
World-renowned photographer Doris Ulmann chanced upon Berea College in the early 1930s and developed a deep admiration for the institution and the people, leaving behind her art as a permanent display of her belief in the College. Read more about Doris Ulmann and her connection to the College in the Berea College Magazine.