Since its founding in 2019, Parisa Projects connects Middle Eastern contemporary artists with worldwide audiences through exhibitions, educational programs and art sales while helping provide financial resources and professional opportunities.
This is a challenging endeavor as Iran enforces severe limitations on communication to the outside world through near-total internet blackouts, strict digital censorship and penalties for contacting foreign media outlets.
That’s why these artists couldn’t conduct interviews with The Post and Courier.
“In Between” by Moslem Khezri
Provided
Bringing their artworks stateside is one way to get a message through, and Charleston feels like a particularly special city in which to do this, Majidy said.
“The city has a vibrant, growing arts community that values good storytelling,” she said. “We felt there was a real hunger here for international perspectives that don’t always make it to the Southeast, making it a great home for an exhibition focused on real dialogue.”
Featured artists
The 15 artists on display are tackling a variety of subjects with rich social commentary, Majidy said. Themes include unpacking masculinity, exploring the friction between humanity and industry, reimagining the female body and calling out environmental damage.
“These are thoughtful, sophisticated artists using their practice to claim their own narratives,” she added.
Born in Zahedan, Iran, featured artist Ayda Roozbayani grew up near the Southern coast and industrial oil hubs, which shaped her focus on human vulnerability and solitude.
“Black Trace 3” by Sadegh Khalife
Provided
Her figurative paintings blend realism with dreamlike settings, using oil, acrylic and collage to transform photographs of Iranian landscapes into timeless scenes. In works like “The Suburb 9,” which will be featured in the show, water often separates her figures, reflecting themes of isolation and emotional distance.
Self-taught painter Sadegh Khalife, based in Shushtar, Iran, draws heavily on his 17 years working in the industrial sector. His paintings combine machinery, industrial forms and hybrid structures with imagery rooted in the collective memory of his community.