I’m happy to announce that my solo show, entitled “Skies She Didn’t See” opens on April 25 in El Paso, TX at La Mecha Contemporary and runs through May 25th. The exhibition centers on the persecution of the followers of the Baha’i Faith in Iran, the country of its birth. It considers what it means to be deprived of the everyday freedoms one enjoys or even of one’s life for the simple reason that you believe something.The work was also created in support of the international campaign launched one year ago by the Baha’i International Community, entitled #OurStoryIsOne. That campaign honors the ten Baha’i women, aged 17 to 57 who in 1983 were executed by hanging in Shiraz, Iran because they would not recant their faith. The campaign also supports more broadly the women in Iran who are currently struggling for justice, equality, and freedom.
The installation piece, from which the exhibition takes its name, is dedicated to Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet. These women were first arrested in 2008 and served ten-year prison sentences for having actively practiced their faith in caring for their community and helping to educate children and youth. Twenty months ago, they were re-arrested for the same “crime” of being active in the Baha’i community in Iran, a country which does not recognize the Baha’i Faith. The installation is composed of 658 painted skies – one for each day of their imprisonment from their re-arrest in July 2022 through the end of the show.
Over the years the Baha’is have encouraged an official international response to the plight of the Baha’is in Iran. On May 11 at 3:00 pm, Amalia Giebitz of the U S Baha’i Office of Public Affairs in Washington D. C., will speak on the topic and on what our response has been for the past forty-five years.
You can see some of the sky paintings at https://www.instagram.com/
Proceeds from the sale of the work will be donated to a relief fund. If you prefer you can purchase online. More skies will be added soon. https://
Please join us at the reception, during gallery hours, or for the free events listed below.
Thursday, April 25, 6-9:00 p.m. – Opening Reception. Artist’s remarks, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 27, 3:00 p.m. – Artist talk
Saturday, May 18, 3:00 p.m. – Reception and poetry reading from Mahvash Sabet’s book, Prison Poems
3803 Frutas Ave., El Paso, TX
915-440-3278
Open Saturdays, 12:00-5:00 p.m. or by appointment