Kiana Honarmand

Artist Statement

My work focuses on issues related to my cultural identity, especially the treatment of women in Iran's society, the male gaze, censorship, and surveillance. These are difficulties that every person, especially women, living in Iran has to deal with on a daily basis. Iran is a patriarchal society and as such, women are treated as second-class citizens; where even the laws of the country are stacked against them.

My work also addresses the Western perception of the Middle East, especially Middle Eastern Women. Growing up in Iran, I felt stuck between tradition and modernity, as did many other people in my generation. Iran had already become westernized before the 1979 revolution changed the culture to a more religious and traditional one. My work is influenced by my status as female growing up in the Middle East, who is currently living in the United States. I am interested in the history of Western Art and Persian Art, and in my work, I merge the imagery of my past with my new cultural environment. In my work, I utilize text as a way to reference the history of hiding critical commentary in Persian poetry and visual arts. My work includes politically charged text such as news articles, Islamic Hadith or feminist poetry, which is subsequently transformed into pattern using the smooth curves of Persian calligraphy. These pieces are a commentary on a contemporary issue related to women’s rights in Iran.

I consider myself a conceptually based artist. In the process of creating my work, I make all my aesthetic and technical decisions based on my concept and ideas. I use different digital fabrication technologies such as Laser Cutters, CNC Routers, 3D Scanners and 3D printer, in combination with more traditional methods of craft.

-- Kiana Honarmand

Bio

Kiana Honarmand is an Iranian artist whose work addresses issues related to her cultural identity, the treatment of women in Iran’s society, censorship, surveillance, and the Western perception of the Middle East. Derived from her interest in different materials and processes, Kiana’s interdisciplinary practice features the use of digital fabrication tools as well as traditional methods of craft. In 2012, Kiana moved to the United States to pursue and complete her Master of Fine Arts degree, and currently, she lives and works in Pennsylvania. Her work has been exhibited internationally and throughout the United States.