So Far. So Close. 2026

I Will Rise in Slow Accession Project, 2024–

I reimagine figures from classical Persian paintings as action-figure guardians to reclaim the female agency erased from historical narratives. The action figure becomes a symbolic protagonist, embodying strength, protection, and collective action. Their appearance references medieval Persian paintings, while also evoking American comic book superheroes, blending my cultural influences. I draw my figures faceless with billowing hair, emphasizing expression over identity.

I interpret the flatness in classical Persian painting as a way of emphasizing spatial awareness, where all elements retain their scale and proportion regardless of position. The absence of a vanishing point suggests visual continuity and invites democratic engagement with space and meaning. This democratic gaze is both an aesthetic and ethical gesture for me. I build upon this principle in my scenes, where figures undertake missions to confront various tensions in pursuit of harmony.

The works in So Far. So Close. were composed during my Makaan artist residency at Minnesota Street Project Foundation in San Francisco (Feb-April 2026).

Tension has always been part of my life since childhood, both so far and so close. During the residency, I found myself responding to the news of war and turmoil in my native country, Iran, where my family members are currently trapped and unable to leave. Images of smoke, fire, and charred keepsakes captured my attention and gradually seeped into my work.

Sonic Shadows, a collaborative sound installation

Pantea Karimi and Scott Kildall

What if Power and Agency had their own sounds? What if light could open a portal where we could examine these capacities? These are the questions Pantea Karimi and Scott Kildall explore in Sonic Shadows. In her current work, Karimi creates a world by reimagining female figures from classical Persian paintings as powerful, autonomous action figures, each given a mythical ability and a mission that repeats. They undertake missions to overcome tensions in pursuit of harmony, with their gestures symbolizing resilience and a call to action. Kildall creates art that transforms hidden data from the natural environment into sound installations and performances. His work produces unpredictable and improvisational choreographies reflecting the ever-changing nature of life itself.

Sonic Shadows is a collaborative sound installation featuring Karimi’s action-figure silhouettes and generative music designed by Kildall. Karimi uses light and gentle airflow to project and animate the shadows of cutout figures suspended from the ceiling on the wall behind them. Light sensors track the shadows’ movement, and software transforms it into a soundscape representing “power” and “agency.” Both artists share a fascination with science and its imaginative potential. The interplay of shadows, light, and action figures’ movements inspires their collaborative vision.

For Karimi, Power and Agency are fluid, allowing space for personal interpretation; for Kildall, the data-driven sounds generated from shadows reveal their own unexpected qualities. Therefore, for them, the sounds of “agency” and “power” take many forms. Sonic Shadows invites visitors to explore their own understanding of these concepts through active listening and personal reflection.

Sonic Shadows, 2025-2026, was developed at Xenoform Labs Residency, San Francisco, Nov-Dec 2025, and presented by Makaan Arts Residency, April 2026.

Plexiglass, fishing line, wood, mirror, sensors and sound, 141 x 42 x 42 inches