WALTHAM, MASS.- The Rose Art Museum named Arghavan Khosravi (b. 1984) the 2023 Ruth Ann and Nathan Perlmutter Artist-in-Residence. Since 2002, the Perlmutter Residency has been part of the Rose Art Museum’s longstanding tradition of promoting emerging artists of extraordinary talent whose work addresses contemporary issues of vital urgency. Born in Shahr-e Kord, Iran, Khosravi lived in Tehran until 2015, when she came to Brandeis University to study art.
She pursued her MFA at RISD and since then has been developing a unique hybrid style, creating richly symbolic work that critically explores the complex relationship between the oppression and self-empowerment of women across various cultural milieus.
“Having known Arghavan since her time as a post-baccalaureate art student at Brandeis University, I’ve followed her artistic trajectory with great interest and am thrilled to welcome her back to the Rose and to campus. As we witness the Iranian regime’s extreme brutality in response to the brave resistance of the Iranian people calling “Woman. Life. Freedom,” Arghavan’s powerful compositions, which center women, could not be more timely. Her work and presence on campus will provide a unique and vital perspective for students and the broader community,” stated Dr. Gannit Ankori, Henry and Lois Foster Director and Chief Curator. “We are forever grateful to Ruth Ann Perlmutter for the legacy she and her husband Nathan established that allows us to bring artists like Arghavan to campus. Like the Perlmutters, we believe art is essential to expanding our knowledge and understanding the human condition across the world.”
Khosravi’s residency will include engagement with students, public programming, and Arghavan Khosravi: Black Rain, the artist’s first comprehensive museum survey. Curated by Ankori, Black Rain will trace the artist's trajectory from small-scale drawings produced upon her arrival in the United States to Khosravi’s more recent monumental compositions that straddle painting and sculpture. The exhibition will also examine the cross-cultural stylistic influences found within Khosravi’s oeuvre, particularly ancient Persian miniature paintings' compressed perspective. A selection of miniature paintings from the Harvard Art Museum’s collection will be displayed in dialogue along with Khosravi’s work, illustrating the artist’s interrogation and subversion of Persian miniatures’ aesthetics, architectures, and gendered narratives.
“Exhibiting my work at the Rose, and working with Brandeis students as the Perlmutter Artist-in-Residence is such an honor. The fight for gender equality is universal and ever-present, and hopefully, my time on campus will shed light on the plight of Iranian women and inspire a new generation.”
Arghavan Khosravi: Black Rain will be on view in the museum’s Lois Foster Wing from August 3–October 22, 2023.
Arghavan Khosravi has 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. The artist has had recent exhibitions at prominent venues such as the FLAG Art Foundation, New York; the Orlando Museum of Art, Florida; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Yinchuan, China; Newport Art Museum, Newport, Rhode Island; and Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Massachusetts; among others. Khosravi has held residencies at the Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown, Massachusetts; the Studios at MassMoCA, North Adams, Massachusetts; Monson Arts, Monson, Maine; and Residency Unlimited, Brooklyn, New York. She is a 2019 recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation’s Painters & Sculptors Grant and a 2017-18 recipient of the Walter Feldman Fellowship.
