UW Fine Arts and UWAG are proud to co-present the first of our annual MFA Thesis exhibitions.
"We will lose our beloveds — ما عزیزانمان را از دست خواهیم داد" is a body of interdisciplinary works which uses feminist autotheory to transcribe lived experience under the Iranian theocracy. The works highlight the complexities of migration: what self-exile feels like, along with my connection to the greater Iranian diaspora after moving to Canada in 2018. Artmaking allows me to unpack the emotional landscape of my in-betweenness (neither here nor there), to process grief and loss (both personal and collective), while also pacifying my quest for belonging. Using paper, graphite, and my body in nonverbal dance and performance, I use mark-making as a methodology for healing, a strategy for resistance, and a source of agency while inhabiting the discomfort of this in-betweenness.
Behnaz Fatemi is an Iranian interdisciplinary artist based in Waterloo who investigates diaspora and trauma through performance, drawing, installation, and video. Her artworks have been exhibited in Iran, Canada, and the United States. Highlights of her time spent in the Kitchener-Waterloo area include Kitchener Artist in Residence (2020-21), Waterloo Region Arts Awardee (2020), and CAFKA biennial (2023). Fatemi gratefully acknowledges the support of the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund and Pat the Dog Theatre Creation.
Date: April 18th - May 4th (available Wed - Sat)
Time: 12pm - 5pm