Farah Ossouli: Ars Poetica

In her work, Iranian-born artist Farah Ossouli weaves elements of traditional Persian miniatures with new features, including contemporary Farsi poetry, painted motifs, Tazhib (decorative arts and book illuminations) designs with weapons, and references to famous images by artists such as Frida Kahlo and Francisco Goya. Ossouli’s paintings highlight the state of women in regions of conflict. She writes, “The overriding theme in these pictures is that appearances may be deceptive of underlying realities as seen in packaged news and sanitized media… The contrast between serene surface beauty and lurking violence also exists in traditional miniatures, but in ‘Ars Poetic’ it reflects the tension and conflict I feel about the gap between appearance and reality in the country, the region, and the world I live in.” Ossouli spends her time as an artist living in both Brooklyn and Iran. 

This exhibition is presented as part of the Fertile Crescent Program from the Institute for Women and Art.