Context Lost, 2023
Solo Exhibition, Krishna Murthi Gallery, Rothschild Performing Arts Center, San Jose, CA
2023 Dickinson Artist in Residence at Harker School
Context Lost displays existing pieces from my geometry and botanical series in which I incorporate references to my home culture, Iran. Much of Iranian customs, heritage, and values are unknown outside of the country, and geopolitical representation of Iran also serves to obscure and misinterpret it. Because of this, my works are necessarily viewed through an arbitrary syncretic and invented lens. I juxtapose traditional and contemporary art forms as commentary on the intricate interplay between culture and politics. Iran’s history includes much conflict and uncertainty. I seek to introduce and raise questions about the impact of political conflict on Iran’s deep history of scientific, artistic, and cultural achievement, thereby revealing the context that has been lost.
Broken Grid, monotype paper tiles, 2022
The paper tiles created during my residency at MASS MoCA in May 2022 serve as a visual exploration of my native cultural identity and heritage. Drawing inspiration from the Topkapi scroll, a late medieval Iranian document housed at the Topkapi Palace in Türkiye, these tiles feature geometric designs and Square Kufic script that are deeply rooted in Iranian history and architecture. In my process, I deliberately remove these shapes from their original context and symmetrical arrangements and instead, arrange them asymmetrically in distorted grids to reflect on the impact of ongoing political conflicts on Iranian history.
Context Lost, stop motion animation, 2023
Short version (1: 20 seconds), long version (15 minutes)
Context Lost draws inspiration from medieval Iranian tile designs which incorporated small squares (pixels) to form geometric images and texts and utilize my digitized hand-made marbling print from Saffron Saint of Spices series (2022-2023). In this stop-motion animation, my digitized marbling print holds the visual narrative of the saffron crocus and historical geometrical patterns that fade away pixel by pixel. The gradual disappearance symbolizes the obfuscation of Iranian heritage and its contributions due to ongoing political conflicts. I invite viewers to contemplate the negative impact of such conflicts on the preservation of historic and scientific achievements.
Interview Video, 46 min.
Harker Speaker Series: Art and Science in Historic and Political Contexts with Pantea Karimi
Interview by Joshua Martinez, Chair of Visual Art at Harker
Patil Theater at Rothschild Performing Arts Center, San Jose, CA, November 2023
Pixel-Star
Harker School Teaching Residency, 2023
Pantea Karimi worked with 100 students at Harkers, Grades K through 12. Students produced their tile design, creating pixel stars, inspired by medieval Square Kufic methods from Iran.
Research
Images from the Topkapi scroll include geometric shapes for tile designs. Images of the historic medieval buildings that used similar Square Kufic tile designs are found in the Topkapi scroll on their facade. An image of the blocked view of the Hudson River landscape by Persian decorative patterns on the window. From Olana House in Hudson, NY, which I took in May 2022. I used them as sources of inspiration for the Context Lost series.
