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From a recent newsletter:
Shiva Shoeybi Conditioner (detail) 2018
Exhibition including new work by Shiva Shoeybi:
I first met Shiva many years ago when I was coordinating the Independent Studio Program at the Toronto School of Art. She was a recent graduate from the University of Western. I had the pleasure of also being her advisor for that year. Shiva's work ranges in media but is always informed by her cross cultural experience of being an Iranian who grew up in Dubai and then moved to Canada. I was always intrigued by the way she looked at the world differently than I do and used materials in ways I wouldn't consider.
For example, during her undergraduate degree she performed a dictionary piece where she explored the range of meanings of words in both English and Farsi to create a web of overlapping and disparate associations. During the ISP program she developed work about the layered meanings that evolve from the physical layering of posters on lampposts. This culminated in a large photographic installation where she papered the walls of her studio much like the lampposts she was referencing.
The image above is a detail of a new work by Shiva. I don't want to give too much away but suffice it to say, she is dealing with the cultural aspects of women's hair. These new pieces are part of a group exhibition called: Four Women - Four Visions which closes this Sunday, April 22 at Gallery 50 at 50 Gladstone Avenue (www.gallery50.ca). The show includes the work of 4 Iranian Canadian women and includes painting, collage, photography, video and sculpture.