Six Standout Artists From the Jersey City Art and Studio Tour 2019
Our critic discovers art by Karen Leo, Carly Silverman, Eric Magnuson, Hadieh Afshani, Jinkee Choi, and Loura van der Meule.
Alissa GuzmanOctober 8, 2019
Hadieh Afshani, 135 Erie Street
Hadieh Afshani
Inside the serene studio of Hadieh Afshani, small oil paintings of dreamy interiors caught my eye. Isolated from the canvas like architectural blueprints, simple bedrooms are painted in watery shades of blue and green, taking cues from de Chirico-like Surrealism. Born in Iran before traveling to Australia and the US after art school, her paintings consider ideas of displacement and identity. Small embroidery pieces combine the architecture of Tehran with the interiors found in her paintings, while ceramic bowls and plates, intentionally broken and carefully pieced back together, are painted with fragmented portraits. Discussing her past, Afshani said she grew up as a “nomadic woman,” meditating on the uncertainty, nostalgia, and fantasy of the places she’s lived.
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