Arghavan Khosravi (Persian: ارغوان خسروی; born 1984) is an Iranian-born American visual artist, and illustrator.[1][2] She is known for her three dimensional paintings with works that cross between the traditions of European Renaissance and Persian miniature; with themes of freedom, exile, and empowerment.[3] Khosravi lives in Stamford, Connecticut,[4] and previously lived in Natick, Massachusetts.[5]
Arghavan Khosravi | |
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ارغوان خسروی | |
Born | 1984 (age 37–38) |
Education | Brandeis University |
Alma mater | Islamic Azad University, University of Tehran, Rhode Island School of Design |
Occupation | painter, sculptor, illustrator |
Movement | Surrealism |
Awards | Joan Mitchell Foundation (2019) |
Website | Official website |
Arghavan Khosravi was born in 1984 in Shahr-e Kord, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran, and was raised in a secular household in Tehran.[6][7] In part due to Iranian societal issues in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution, at an early age she was made aware of the distinct difference between public and private spaces.[6] The theme of the compartmentalized self was one that carried on in her later-made artwork.
Khosravi earned a BFA degree (2006) in graphic design from Islamic Azad University; an MFA degree (2009) in illustration from the University of Tehran; and a MFA degree (2018) in painting from Rhode Island School of Design.[6] Several years after attending the University of Tehran, Khosravi worked as a graphic designer and children's book illustrator.[7] She has illustrated around 20 books.[7] She was detained by the morality police in 2011.[6] In 2015, she moved to the United States to finish her education.[6] She attended a one-year postbaccalaureate program at Brandeis University.[5]
In her artwork, she juxtaposes contradictions in her images between freedom and restraints; and they often feature dream-like colorful and whimsical gardens, and something disturbing happening such as someone purposely limiting or obstructing the freedom of the female subject's bodily movement.[8] She uses traditional Persian textile patterns in many of her paintings.[9] Hair as a symbol has been used in many of her works; which a global audience took notice to after the Mahsa Amini protests in 2022.[10][6]
In 2019, Khosravi had her first solo exhibition in a gallery at Lyles & King in New York City. [11][7] In April to September 2022, she held her first solo museum exhibition at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, New Hampshire.[1] Other notable exhibitions include Rachel Uffner gallery (2021) in New York City;[12] Rockefeller Center (2022);[13] Kavi Gupta Gallery (2022) in Chicago;[4] and Stems Gallery (2022) in Belgium.[8]
Her work is in public museum collections including at the Newport Art Museum, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Museum, and RISD Museum.[5]
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