Arghavan Khosravi

Arghavan Khosravi — Born 1984, Shahr-e-kord, Iran. Represented by Rachel Uffner Gallery, New York; and Stems Gallery, Brussels. 

 

Arghavan Khosravi’s meditative mixed-media paintings subtly address human rights issues. The artist creates multi-part worlds in her carefully composed paintings. Contemporary human figures commingle with ghostly limbs and classical Greco-Roman sculptures. Bright red lines of string, Persian decorative motifs, and found textiles connect the disparate figures. 

 

Khosravi begins each painting with an intensive brainstorming and research phase.One of Khosravi’s main sources of inspiration is societal issues in Iran: “Human rights and, more specifically, women’s rights issues, patriarchy, and some levels of gender apartheid. I am more interested in addressing these concerns in a symbolic and subtler way and have an indirect approach.” She also studies and incorporates art historical traditions, ranging from Persian miniature painting and Islamic architecture to medieval painting and ancient sculpture.

 

Khosravi earned an MFA in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design after completing the studio art program at Brandeis University. Khosravi previously earned a BFA in Graphic Design from Tehran Azad University and an MFA in Illustration from the University of Tehran. Khosravi is a 2019 recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation’s Painters & Sculptors Grant and a 2017-8 recipient of the Walter Feldman Fellowship. She has had solo exhibitions with Stems Gallery, Brussels; Rachel Uffner Gallery, New York; and Carl Kostyal, London. Khosravi has participated in numerous group exhibitions, at venues such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, Yinchuan, China; Newport Art Museum, Newport, RI; and Provincetown Art Association and Museum, MA; among others.