SUU, SUMA host artist and filmmaker Sheida Soleimani
By Amanda DeBry
Southern Utah University’s art department and the Southern Utah Museum of Art are excited to welcome artist and filmmaker Sheida Soleimani to present on her exhibition “Medium of Exchange.” On April 17, the film portion of the exhibit will be screened in the Sterling R. Church Auditorium at SUU at 6 p.m. with a second screening at 7 p.m. There will be a Q&A with Soleimani following each screening. On April 18 from noon to 1 p.m., there will be a panel discussion at the Michael O. Leavitt Center for Politics & Public Service. That evening at 7 p.m., Soleimani will present at Art Insights at the SUU Auditorium. Her exhibit will also be on display in SUMA through May 3.
In “Medium of Exchange,” Soleimani charts a fragmented history of the relationship between OPEC nations and western political powers since the 1960s, when the organization was formed, highlighting the correlation between sovereign oil wealth and civil rights abuse. The exhibit combines photographic tableaus alongside a scripted film. The photographs portray theatrical interplays between caricatured OPEC oil ministers and the western government officials who together control the oil industry. Solitary or group portraits are staged against backdrops composed of found images of oil fields and refineries, strewn with props relating to the commodities or cultural signifiers that shape each specific narrative.
Soleimani makes work that melds sculpture, performance, film, and photography to highlight her critical perspectives on historical and contemporary sociopolitical events across the Greater Middle East. Soleimani focuses on media trends and the dissemination of information in the news, adapting images from popular press and social media leaks to exist within alternative scenarios. She is interested in the intersections of art and activism as well as how social media have shaped the landscape in current political affairs and uprisings.
Soleimani received a master’s degree in art from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2015. Her work has been recognized internationally in both exhibitions and publications such as Artforum, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Interview Magazine, and VICE Magazine, among many others.
Soleimani resides in Providence, Rhode Island where she is a professor of studio art at Brandeis University.
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