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Spotlight Series: Marjan Kaviani
October 31, 2023 @ 8:00 am - March 3, 2024 @ 5:00 pm
The Spotlight Series centres the work of contemporary artists in dialogue with past and present-day lived experiences in the place we call Guelph. Recognizing that the month of November invites reflections of remembrance, the Spotlight Series broadens understandings of war through the lens of two contemporary conflicts, in Ukraine and Iran.
This instillation features the work of Iranian Canadian artist Marjan Kaviani whose art will be on view at the Guelph Civic Museum until March 3, 2024.
Artist Statement
“My parents lived under the Iranian regime before coming to Canada. Growing up, I saw that the revolution in Iran left a psychological imprint on my family. I speak to, and retell, that experience in my art. I imagine the figures in my work as casualties of the Iranian regime. I have firsthand experience with their rage and trauma.
In my paintings, I create a psychological tableau of the people around me. I reveal their humanity, suffering, sadness, and absurdity. The distorted figures lack connection to their spirituality. Through my art, I ask the victims of the Iranian revolution to question their pervasive malaise (depression).
As an expressionistic painter, I share the emotional impact of my own experiences. My colour palette and the distortions of my figures are used to exaggerate and intensify my creative expression. I use layers of wet and dry oil paint to create a surreal atmosphere.”
Artist Biography
Marjan Kaviani is an Iranian Canadian artist, based in Guelph. Kaviani graduated from Claude Watson Secondary Arts before undertaking an undergraduate degree at the University of Guelph, where she majors in Studio Art and minors in Psychology.
In 2022, Kaviani won the Jane Graham Memorial Award (Guelph Arts Council). In 2023, she placed 3rd at the University of Guelph’s annual Juried Art Show. She has had solo exhibitions at Homer Watson House and Gallery in Kitchener and at Boarding House Arts in Guelph.
Highlighted Iranian Communities in Guelph
Guelph Iranian Student Association
