Mahsa Karimi

Thinking about agony and anguish of modern humans, their struggle to continue in spite of chronic failure is the source of Mahsa Karimi's paintings. She is the medium, transferring human vulnerability onto the canvas. Everyday life's experiences and the state of the society impose upon her what is created on the canvas.

The artist cannot be separated from her surroundings and the state of Iranian society, particularly the situation of women and their struggle, influence Mahsa’s works. She notes, 'It is unbearable for me to imagine the repetitive and terrifying seconds of this life without engaging in art'. To Mahsa, the state of the society and images of people who are exhausted, wounded and unable to change their situation is what must be depicted. Her humans are frozen in a gaze in portraits of unnaturally natural.

Close personal experience plays a decisive role in Mahsa's work too. It is her sister, Melika. She says, 'In most of my paintings, the disability of my sister, Melika, the deformed shape of her face and body find their way into my paintings and offer a new definition of beauty'. This is very true! Her characters are beautiful, even though they are distorted and destroyed. We see the beauty that lies within. Sometimes, she starts with an image with all the desired details and then destroys it to achieve the narrative.

Mahsa was born in 1981 and studied graphic design in Australia.

Exhibitions:

  • 2021 'The Uneasy Ancestry', O Gallery
  • 2019 'The Everlasting Tension', O Gallery
  • 2017 'Their Chronic Condition', Dastan Art Gallery
  • 2016 'Repeating Hard Sentences', Mehrva Art Gallery
  • 2015 'Retail and Wholesale of Your Family Photos', Azad Art Gallery
  • 2013 'The Phobia', Azad Art Gallery
  • 2012 'Afternoon Tea Will Be Served', Azad Art Gallery
  • 2011 'Imaginary Papers', Imam Ali Museum
  • 2022 'Making Her Mark', Janet Turner Print Museum, California, USA (painting selected for the permanent collection)
  • 2022 'Don't Bite Me', International Art Residency with 21 artists from different countries, Blue Rhino Art Consultancy, Istanbul, Turkey
  • 2022 'The Continuity', E.C.H. Gallery, Tehran
  • 2021 'The Supermarket’, Stockholm Independent Art Fair, Stockholm, Sweden
  • 2021 'Selected Women Artists', Curated by Art Girl Rising Group, Online Platform
  • 2021 'Zan Means Woman', Curated by Gita Meh, Natália Gromicho Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal
  • 2020 'Winter Art Show 20/21 - Online Exhibition', Blue Rhino Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
  • 2018 'Blue Rhino', Adahan Otel-1 Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
  • 2018 'The Metamorphosis', Saareban Art Gallery
  • 2018 'The Cultural Narratives', Warehouse 47, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  • 2015 'Imago Mundi, An Exhibition of Luciano Benetton's Artwork Collection', Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Venice, Italy
  • 2011 'Selected Artworks of Contemporary Artists', Takesh Art Gallery in Collaboration with Azad Art Gallery
  • 2011 'The Resistance Festival', Saba Cultural Institute
  • 2011 'The Imaginary Papers', Imam Ali Museum
  • 2010 'Illustrations for Children with Disability', Iranian Artists House
  • 2010 'Selected Artists of the New Generation', Pardis Art Gallery
  • 2009 'Festival of Contemporary Design', Imam Ali Museum
  • 2006 'International Youth Visual Arts Festival', Imam Ali Museum
  • 2005 'MERAJ Illustration Festival', Contemporary Art Museum of Isfahan

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