American-Iranian artist Pegah Samaie’s paintings are highly personal accounts of women’s identity, religion and politics relating to her experiences growing up in Iran and then moving to the United States. Having found a strong voice and freedom through her artwork, Samaie uses her striking imagery “to face the experiences she and other women have encountered in a culture dominated by patriarchal governments and households,” and the works “reflect the inspiration that brings hope for the women who have lost their liberty and identity in places where there is little freedom.”
Stifled by Her Surroundings, oil on aluminum, 12 x 8"
Defiance, oil on aluminum, 24 x 30"
In her newest series, The Birth, Samaie uses two windows to explore the oppression and opportunity in her life related to the issues women face. The first looks at her life in Iran up until 2006, while the second is a window into her life as a new mother.
“I eventually learned to use my past experiences consciously and subconsciously to express the reconciliation I am making with all the storms of my life,” she says. “In rising from the wreckage and painting politics and issues related to women’s rights, I am recovering, reclaiming and redesigning what it means to be a woman.”
Veiled Threat, oil on aluminum, 15 x 10"
Crippled Beneath Her Veil, oil on aluminum, 20 x 16"
Paintings such as Stifled by Her Surroundings and Veiled Threat depict women with their faces hidden behind beautifully embroidered veils. In the former work, the veil covers the woman’s entire face, while the veil is wrapped more traditionally with the woman’s eyes uncovered in Veiled Threat. Defiance depicts a woman walking away from the man whose hands are gripping her veil.
On May 26 Abend Gallery in Denver will open a solo exhibition for Samaie featuring her newest paintings. —
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