Turning Words into Art Earns Local Artist Top Honors
By Matt Wilson
“Visual, spoken and written symbols are a major source of inspiration for Pantea Karimi, who was recently named the 2010 Distinguished Artist of the Year by the Cupertino Fine Arts Commission. In a world dominated by so many symbols both visual and verbal, much of her artistic inspiration is drawn from the transmission of language. Mass media, published media and popular culture are consistent themes while global symbols often star as the main attraction in her art.
Karimi works with paper and often includes silkscreen and watercolor within a single composition. History, current events, political and social issues both global and local are expressed through her work. her pieces are open to interpretation, and Karimi hopes her audience rethinks them in their own way.
Media is a running theme as well, which harkens back to her youth is Iran and early exposure to Western culture through European magazines and newspapers. Karimi also has an affinity for 19th -century publications featuring Persian culture.”