Info Block
Artist: Mahsa Soroudi
Exhibition: 7500 Miles
Websites:
Mahsa Soroudi’s Website: https://www.mahsasoroudi.com
Mahsa Soroudi’s “7500 Miles” Website: http://www.7500miles.org/
Due to the current circumstances that we’re experiencing right now due to COVID 19, or the Corona Virus, we have to do our fourth artist conversation based on an interview conducted by Professor Zucman. In his video, he is interviewing artist Mahsa Soroudi. Mahsa Soroudi was born in Tehran, a place she describes as being a “metropolitan” area, stating, “In every corner of it you can experience different things, the cultures”. She also states how Tehran is considered the “capital of art”, or similar to this idea since it is home to plenty of top universities and art academies.
Soroudi’s art isn’t fully focused on sending politically-charged messages, but rather explores “contemporary” art. She believes that the media influences people’s o view of Iran or nations similar to this in a very specific way, leading people to believe that the people there are dealing with all degrees of oppression. Soroudi explains that this isn’t always the case, and she isn’t trying to combat this by including the work of other artists that simply showcase their interests. She focuses on including more women’s art and their own experiences. She believes the art focuses on things like moments, thoughts, and the vulnerability of these artists.
Soroudi explains how her project, “7500 Miles”, was inspired by her sister. Her website is essentially a gateway to networking. She uses her platform to display collections of art in hopes to accumulate enough support to have an actual exhibit. Soroudi shares how the site started with just her immediate friends she had met in school, however, slowly grew bigger due to her friends introducing her to their friends and the cycle continued. She included a place for people to submit their work.
I personally enjoyed this interview with Mahsa Soroudi. I enjoyed getting to learn her story and found it to be empowering. My family also migrated from their homelands to come to the United States in search of the same things Mahsa Soroudi was hoping for. Seeing how far Soroudi has come and watching her being optimistic about her exhibits and goals is inspiring. I also really enjoyed how she not only focused on herself as an artist, but rather shared her platform with other upcoming artists to be given the chance to be included in her “7500 Miles” project.
Edwin Hernandez 