Iran: Deciphering Violence and Resistance as well as Embroidered Past, Imagined Future will exhibit at Urban Arts Space across September, October, and November. Though the two exhibitions highlight different artists and curators, both thematically connect in how they delve into the experiences of people from Iran and the Congo in the face of social and political unrest within these regions.

Iran: Deciphering Violence and Resistance features ten contemporary Iranian artists living in Iran and the United States. The exhibition calls attention to the systemic violence perpetrated by Iran’s dictatorial monarchy against its citizens. These works span across several mediums, including film, animation, VR, sculpture, installation, photos, poems, and paintings. Through these various forms, each artist demonstrates their relationship with the ethnic and gendered marginalization, institutionalized violence and misogyny, and forced migration resulting from Iran’s dictatorial government. The exhibit also includes the work of over 48 artists in the form of a traveling poster collection.

Iran: Deciphering Violence and Resistance exhibits at Urban Arts Space from September 26–November 18. The exhibition will be curated by Illya Mousavijad and feature the works of ten artists and activists: Roya Amigh, Maryam Ashrafi, Parastou Forouhar, Barbad Golshiri, Illya Mousavijad, Mehran Najafi, Maaman Rezaee, Fatemeh Shams, Omid Shekari, and Jinoos Taghizadeh. An opening reception will be hosted on October 9 from 5–8 PM at Urban Arts Space, including a panel with selected artists from 5:30–7:00 PM.

Embroidered Past, Imagined Future spotlights the work of Lucie Kamuswekera and is curated by Dr. Sarah Van Beurden from The Ohio State University. Each piece consists of burlap sacks with colorful recycled threads that depict historical and contemporary events while elevating the role of women within Congolese history. As an eighty-year-old woman from the city of Goma, Kamuswekera has experienced much personal tragedy, including the death of her husband in 1997 to the violence of the first Congo war.

Featured works include La Mort de Lumumba, which depicts the life of Patricia Lumumba, a Congolese prime minister who was assassinated, as well as Non à la corruption, which displays the power dynamics that come with a corrupted system as experienced in the modern DR Congo.

Embroidered Past: Imagined Future exhibits at Urban Arts Space from September 19–November 18. The exhibition is curated by Dr. Sarah Van Beurden and highlights the work of Lucie Kamuswekera. An opening reception will be held September 21, 6:00–8:00 PM at Urban Arts Space, in collaboration with the Mershon Center. A guided tour will take place September 23, 1:30­–2:30PM at Urban Arts Space. Afterward, visitors can attend a panel discussion on art and activism from 3:00–5:00 PM with Dr. Ike Newsum, Marshall Shorts, Amina Kassim, and Dr. Sarah Van Beurden, moderated by Dr. Terron Banner of Urban Arts Space.

In both shows, the artists emphasize the impact of modern art as a means of social and political activism, which can influence change in otherwise hostile cultural environments. View both exhibitions through November 18 at Urban Arts Space!