Past Forward | Present TENSE

Curated by Michelle Salter

Opening reception: March 29 7–10pm
Art Crawl: April 13, 7–11pm
Panel Discussion:  April 15, 1–3pm

Past Forward | Present TENSE looks at the work of three contemporary artists who explore cultural translation within the context of Western society.  Soheila K. Esfahani, Fatima Garzan, and Farhang Jalali investigate the processes involved in cultural transfer and transformation. The three bring the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Iran and place it in a Canadian context; but each does so in his/her own way.  As artists, Esfahani, Garzan and Jalali have each looked for, and found, a way to meld their past and present lives, while creating works that speak to us with voices that are universal.

Soheila K. Esfahani grew up in Tehran, Iran, and moved to Canada in 1992. She received her BA in Fine Arts from the University of Waterloo and her Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario. She was a semi-finalist for the 2004 New Canadian Painting Competition through RBC Investments and the Canadian Art Foundation.  Esfahani’s work is represented in public and private collections including the Canada Council’s Art Bank. She works from her studio at Kitchener’s artist–run centre, Globe Studios.

Fatima Garzan was born in Tehran, Iran.  She has a B.A. in Economics from the National University of Iran and studied Fine Arts at the University of Waterloo, where she received her Honours Bachelor of Arts in painting and printmaking in 2005.  Garzan has exhibited in Canada and Iran.  She is a founding member of the BOX Art Show, an exhibition showcasing visual artists in the Region of Waterloo.  Her works are included in the Canada Council Art Bank, the City of Kitchener, the University of Waterloo Prints Archive and private collections.

Farhang Jalali was born in Shiraz, Iran, in 1966. In 1988, during the Iran-Iraq War, he fled Iran to Pakistan, where he worked as a graphic designer, and then to Canada in 1993, settling in London, Ontario. From 1997 to 2000, he attended Fanshawe College, where he received a diploma in Fine Art.  In addition to being an active participant in London’s art community, he has shown his work throughout Ontario, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and Vancouver, BC.

This exhibition is made possible through the support of the Visual Arts Section, Canada Council for the Arts. Hamilton Artists Inc. acknowledges the ongoing support of the City of Hamilton and the City of Hamilton Future Fund, the Ontario Arts Council, Canadian Heritage Cultural Spaces Canada Program, Carl and Kate Turkstra, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Hamilton Community Foundation, ArcelorMittal Dofasco and Alexanian Flooring.