Until January 2nd, 2024, Ayyam Gallery will be presenting “Faces of Resilience,” a solo exhibition featuring the latest work of Iranian visual artist Roshanak Aminelahi. Through the captivating use of pointillism and color-blocking techniques, Aminelahi breathes new life into acclaimed stories of female power and resilience.
In the exhibition text, Aminelahi’s works are described as having been created in direct opposition to centuries-old fetishizations of the female form and figure through art. While all of her pieces do depict women, they are faceless. Their physical traits are hidden, allowing their beauty to emanate solely from the remarkability of their characters and achievements.
Some of the women depicted in Aminelahi’s pieces include Fairuz, Frida Kahlo, and Golshifteh Farahani. Despite the “faceless portrayals,” all of these women remain identifiable, speaking to both Aminelahi’s talents as an artist, as well as the great successes of all the women she depicts.
According to the exhibition text, Aminelahi “avoids the potential for objectification or stereotyping” by depicting the women “within intricate settings and embellishments.” They are stripped of any labels typically used against women and are left only with their own personal identities and truths.
United by symbols of “feminine energy,” the women depicted in Aminelahi’s solo exhibition represent the “systemic nature of discrimination and the varied and limitless ways women have had to resist over the years.” When combined, Aminelahi’s artworks tell a “shared story” of female “resilience.” Her exhibition serves as a great reminder of the importance of female empowerment and the continued need for dismantling basic systems of oppression.
