This week, Iranian-born artist Soheila Sokhanvari shows a selection of paintings and mixed-media installations at Kristin Hjellegjerde in London, exploring the role of women in popular culture. Some works take their cue from the portraits of Iranian pop stars, who had successful careers before the 1979 revolution, and had to flee once the country’s culture radically changed. The paintings explore pop images’ ability to seduce, and have expressive, vibrant backgrounds. “The artist’s portraits are based on photographs taken by Iranian men,” says the gallery. “The paintings reveal the women’s performance identity by showing them in surreal settings that we might interpret as the complex landscapes of female consciousness.”
