Taravat Talepasand (born 1979)
is an Iranian-American contemporary artist, activist, and educator whose labor-intensive interdisciplinary painting practice including drawing, sculpture, and installation questions normative cultural behaviors within contemporary power imbalances. As an Iranian-American woman, Talepasand explores the cultural taboos that reflect on gender and political authority. Her approach to representation and figuration reflects the cross-pollination, or lack thereof, in our Western Society. Talepasand previously held the title of the
chair
A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vari ...
of the painting department at
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) was a private college of contemporary art in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1871, SFAI was one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. Approximately ...
(SFAI). She is a Tenure-Track Professor in Art Practice at
Portland State University
Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the following two dec ...
, College of Art + Design.
Early life and education
Taravat Talepasand was born in 1979 in
Eugene,
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
, her father Iraj was studying at
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc
Nike, Inc. ( or ) is a ...
at the time.
She was raised in
Portland, Oregon.
She studied
Persian miniature painting in
Isfahan
Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Region, Isfahan Province, Iran. It is lo ...
.
Talepasand received her B.F.A. degree from the
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 2001 and M.F.A.degree at the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) in 2006.
Career
Talepasand has taught in the Painting Department at SFAI and at
California College of the Arts (CCA).
She previously was the
chair
A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vari ...
of the painting department at
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) was a private college of contemporary art in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1871, SFAI was one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. Approximately ...
(SFAI), until 2019.
In the 2014 exhibition, ''Theory of Survival: Fabrications'' curated by
Taraneh Hemami at
Southern Exposure gallery brought together twelve San Francisco Bay Area Iranian-American artists to display work in their own booth, similar to a traditional
bazaar
A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, such as in t ...
.
The space allowed for a gathering place for Iranian American artists and allowed for more community dialog.
Talepasand's own booth featured souvenir-type items for sale such as t-shirts, magnets and CDs, highlighting the relationship between consumer culture and the arts but also addressing
Orientalism
In art history, literature and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects in the Eastern world. These depictions are usually done by writers, designers, and artists from the Western world. In particular, Orientalist p ...
.
Artists participating in the exhibition included;
Hushidar Mortezaie,
Morehshin Allahyari, Haleh Niazmand,
Ala Ebtekar,
Sanaz Mazinani, Ali Dadgar and Gelare Khoshgozaran.
In the 2019 multi-disciplinary group exhibition, ''Once at Present: Contemporary Art of Bay Area Iranian Diaspora'' curated by Kevin B. Chen and
Taraneh Hemami, at
Minnesota Street Project in San Francisco featured Talepasand's work.
Talepasand work has been featured in
Art in America
''Art in America'' is an illustrated monthly, international magazine concentrating on the contemporary art world in the United States, including profiles of artists and genres, updates about art movements, show reviews and event schedules. It is ...
,
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
, New American Paintings,
Art Papers,
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
, SOMA Magazine, and many more.
She has exhibited her work in United States, Europe, and the Middle East. Talepasand was one of forty artists selected by the
Orange County Museum of Art for the 2010 California Biennial. She is one of the people featured in the film, ''Immigrant Stories: Iranian-Americans of Silicon Valley'' (2021) by Nima Naimi, Alireza Sanayei, and Julian Gigola.
Her works have been added to the permanent museum collections at the
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), comprising the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in the city of San Francisco. The permanent collection of the ...
(FAMSF) at the
De Young Museum and the
Orange County Museum of Art.
See also
*
Islamic art
*
Iranian art
*
List of Iranian artists
*
List of Iranian women artists
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Talepasand, Taravat
1979 births
Living people
21st-century American women artists
21st-century Iranian women artists
Artists from Eugene, Oregon
American people of Iranian descent
San Francisco Art Institute alumni
Rhode Island School of Design alumni
San Francisco Art Institute faculty
California College of the Arts faculty
Artists from San Francisco
American artists of Iranian descent
Portland State University faculty
Painters from Oregon