The Jorgensen Gallery held the opening of the “Flesh and Fable” exhibition last Friday, displaying the multimedia work of Afarin Rahmanifar, an Iranian American artist and associate professor of Art and Art History at Eastern Connecticut State University.
Rahmanifar’s “Flesh and Fable” collection showcases three series: “Women of Shahnameh,” “Threads of Silence” and “Anatomic Myth of Self.” Through each collection, Rahmanifar aims to infuse myth and culture with her evolving sense of being.
In “Women of Shahnameh,” Rahmanifar portrays the women of Ferdowski’s epic poem, “Shahnameh.” The women present in “Shahnameh” are strong, forward leaders, but Rahmanifar, in exile from Iran since 1989, feels that the true characters of these women have become lost since then.
“These women are present every time, everywhere in my work, connecting their stories to a broader area of gender, exile, cultural memory and resilience,” she said in a virtual interview. “These are some of the things that after the revolution happened in Iran, it’s been kind of, you know, pushed to the side. I reinterpret them, and I want them to be on the surface again.”
Following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, life for women shifted dramatically towards stricter religious governance and traditional gender roles, contrasting with the nontraditional lives and personalities of many of the women in the Shahnameh.
In one painting, “Sudabeh,” the titular woman holds an orb with two lovers in it, symbolizing her resistance to the decisions her parents were trying to make for her. Another painting showcases Rudabeh, a legendary character who mothers Rostam, the greatest hero in Persian mythology. Rahmanifar paints them exposed, in the rich blues and warm yellows cognizant of traditional Iranian artwork, to bring out their intelligence, courage and leadership.
Rahmanifar’s newest collection on display is “Anatomic Myth of Self,” a collection of female figures that are constructed and deconstructed in an “evolving self-portrait.” Anatomical forms are painted, then cut into layers, assembled in wood panels and collage-style textile mosaics.
“The process reflects how I experience memory, identify as an Iranian woman shaped by exile, held in fragments, yet continually reconstructed.” Rahmanifar said. “I’m connecting Persian patterns and symbolic imagery to all these things with my personal history that I carry every day.”
In “Anatomic Myth of Self #1,” a woman, her anatomy exposed in deep reds, stares at herself in a fragmented mirror. One attendee, Rosalie Puskar, particularly resonated with this piece.
“It’s the importance of women in the world,” she said. “It’s like she’s carrying the history with her.”
Walking into the Jorgensen Gallery, one is assailed with that sense. Gold-colored paintings on vellum paper hang from the ceiling as Persian music lilts through the air. A wiry sculpture stands alone against a wall, while charcoal drawings intermingle with paintings on canvas. In one corner, an animation of Rahmanifar’s works is played on a television, a unique medium that entranced many of the attendees.
“I love to incorporate animation into my work,” Rahmanifar said. “It’s really interesting to bring the viewers into and invite them into a completely different atmosphere, different kind of imagery, different kind of composition, music and incorporate that.”
Though there are many interpretations of her work, Rahmanifar wants viewers to feel resilience, change and vulnerability through a general understanding of what is happening with the figures and knowledge regarding the artist’s personal experiences.
“This is history that goes along with my everyday life,” she said. “These are the stories that I inherited.”