Matchstick Heroines
@ StudioUs
4806 N Clark St. Chicago IL 60640
Opening Friday, December 16th, from 7:30PM - 10PM
On view through Sunday, January 30th
To amplify the voice of Iranian women, Shermin Kruse (author, producer, entrepreneur) and James Gustin (photographer, storyteller) are teaming up for a longitudinal artistic work that creates captioned portraits of Iranian-American women set against the backdrop of a duplicated mosaic of their heroines and heroes, the protesting men and women on the streets of Iran. The mosaic backdrop spells Woman Life Freedom, the calling card of the protestors.
The Iranian-American women in the portraits shown in the foreground of the exhibition cannot be with their sisters and brothers back home. They cannot bleed with them or scream with them. Unlike their fellow Iranians, they risk nothing by being photographed. They can only amplify the voices of home – hoping that adding their voice on this side of the oceans will highlight the issues and, even if for a moment, comfort those at peril. The exhibition encapsulates the struggles of the diaspora, juggling their survivors’ guilt with their uselessness amidst a revolutionary movement they support but cannot lead or direct. The Iranian-Americans portrayed are spirited and bold girls and women who are generationally, geographically, professionally, racially, religiously, and linguistically diverse. Each portrait and written caption reveals the relationship between each woman and an object
reflecting her ever-becoming soul.
Through this exhibition, the artists hope their work will help to heal, unite, and aid in the becoming of their subjects, themselves, and perhaps voice for freedom everywhere. Together, the artists and their subjects aim to fan the flames of the powerful women on the streets of Iran, standing in awe of them, awaiting a reunion.
Official Website
More events on this date
Tags: James Gustin, Matchstick Heroines, Ravenswood, Shermin Kruse, StudioUs
« previous event
next event »