Rah Eleh Prismatic Arts Festival

Rah-Eleh  
SuperNova

Type of Art:  Visual & Mutli-Media

Dates: Sept 10th – 17th – Installment Viewing

    Sept 13th @ 6pm – Artist Talk 

Location: Art Gallery of Nova Scotia

Rah is an Iranian-Canadian digital and performance artist. Rah’s work has been exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally. She has been the recipient of numerous awards including a SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship. Rah was also the only Iranian-Canadian artist in SAW Galleries Ciphers: Tension with Tradition in Contemporary Iranian Photography which was curated by PhD. Andrea D. Fitzpatrick and was a first-of-its-kind exhibition of Iran’s most critically acclaimed lens-based artists. 

In her work, Rah focuses on and critiques the visual stereotypes and performative aspects that shape female gender identity and Iranian ethnic identity. Her perspective is that of a Canadian-Iranian who is questioning while also trying to assert gender and cultural identity. In particular, she focuses on the performances through which individuals express such identities and critiques the value and legitimacy of identity and cultural expression.

Rah’s body of work aims to contribute to greater social knowledge, awareness and cultural discourses surrounding the Iranian diaspora. She aims to contribute to the interdisciplinary field of contemporary art within a Canadian cultural framework and help fill the gap of research and art production surrounding the Iranian-Canadian diaspora in cultural production and scholarship.

SuperNova

Presented in partnership with the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, SuperNova takes audiences to galaxy Messier 82 to witness a talent show that sets an ideal stage to critically examine race and ethnic performance.

The judges in the talent show, Sirius, Mira and Bellatrix, are each named after the brightest star from various constellations. They are assessing the contestants, Oreo, Fatimeh, and Coco, who each perform short acts that examine issues of race and ethnic performance. As the show progresses, it becomes apparent that each judge is, themselves, mirrored by the Contestants.

Prismatic and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia are honoured to debut Rah-Eleh’s SuperNova.

Join us for an artist talk with Rah-Eleh to dive deeper into the themes and concepts of this new work on Thursday September 13th at 6:00 pm at the Windsor Foundation Lecture Theatre at the AGNS.