Sheida Soleimani’s works explore intersections of photography, sculpture, performance and film to highlight critical perspectives on political events in the Middle East and the Global North. Her multi-media collages use imagery sourced from the internet, especially that of politicians, torture victims and dictators. Through constructing staged sets in her studio and documenting these scenes with the camera, she aims to highlight a feminist take on historical and sociopolitical issues that are currently circulating within society. Referring to these scenes as a “theatrical tableaux”, Soleimani often integrates people and animals to play the roles of her politicised characters, before photographing the scene as a three-dimensional collage image. Her technique can be read in the tradition of the 1920s Dada-movement, as known by artists like Hannah Höch, questioning the dissemination of information and pointing to the potential for critical redesign.

Sheida Soleimani (*1990, US/IR) is the daughter of political refugees persecuted by the Iranian government in the 1980s. She resides in Providence and is currently an Assistant Professor of Studio Art at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA. Recent solo exhibitions include Castello San Basilio, Puglia, Italy (2022), Providence College Galleries, Providence, USA (2022); Denny Dimin Gallery, New York, USA (2020); MoMA PS1, New York, USA (2017).

Exhibition view © Aline Bovard

Exhibition view © Aline Bovard

Exhibition view © Aline Bovard

Exhibition view © Aline Bovard