Free Artist Talk at the K-W Art Gallery features Iranian-Canadian artist, Pardiss Amerian

Pardiss Amerian, an Iranian-Canadian artist, will be speaking at the Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery (KWAG) this Saturday for a free Artist Talk discussing her works SOS: A Story of Survival, Part I – The Image. 

One of several artists taking part in the exhibition, Amerian’s work discusses historic Persian literature through illuminated manuscripts through painting. A three-part exhibition exploring what survival looks like, is, and means, the series begins with Part I “The Image,” bringing images and histories together. 

“Within a nation founded by colonialism, we find ourselves surrounded by survivals,” said Amerian about her work.  “In the midst of an ongoing pandemic, with increasing violence and war around the world, rampant global warming and staggering levels of inequality, survival is not only a philosophical question but a reality of daily life.” 

Part II – The Body will occur in 2023 and Part III – The Planet will conclude the project in 2024.

In a statement on the gallery's website about the exhibition, the pieces are likened to Achille Mbemebe’s archive, a Cambodian historian and political theorist. 

“The artists in this exhibition bring images and histories together to survive in new forms and contexts,” read the statement. “This process reveals connections between humans, non-humans and the matter of the world. Traditions, narratives and inter-generational lineages of knowledge survive with a vibrant vitality.” 

Curated by Darryn Doull, the exhibit also features James Gardner, Paula McLean, Caroline Monnet, Thảo Nguyên Phan (Phan Thảo Nguyên), and Cecilia Vicuña. 

Phan trained as a painter and now works as a multimedia artist (mainly video) and was mentored by internationally acclaimed, New York-based, performance and video artist, Joan Jonas. Drawing from literature, philosophy, and daily life, Phan tries to highlight seemingly ambiguous moments in history with her art. 

Living and working in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Phan started working in film when she began her MFA in Chicago. In addition to her work as a multimedia artist, she is co-founder of the collective Art Labor, which explores cross-disciplinary practices and develops art projects that benefit the local community.

She also plans to expand her “theatrical fields”, including what she calls “performance gestures” and “moving images.”

The exhibit will run at the KWAG October 8, 2022 to January 22, 2023. More information can be found here.