VIRTUAL SENIOR SHOW: Jasmine Djavahery
I create work because I’m proud of my culture. I want to fill the deficit of SWANA artists in the art world, not only do I want to expand from motifs and symbols of Iran, but I want to incorporate it into the world we live in today. A lot of Iranian culture is appropriated or white washed in order to fit the highly Eurocentric art world. When I was younger I thought you could only achieve success in art if you were a European white male who had access to the best mentors and materials. I feel I am still teaching myself that I have no “catching up to do” to my peers or other artists, and my journey is at my own pace. I work primarily in printmaking and with polymer clay. The sensory experience of printmaking has helped me slow down on a second to second basis in order to live in each slice of the wood.
I wanted to highlight aspects of my culture that are often misconstrued in the media due to Islamophobia and U.S. imperialism. In my work, I draw from cartoons, cookbooks, and my day to day life to highlight the beauty of my upbringing. I have a tender relationship to food as my mother showed me at a young age how food can transcend borders.
I wish to present work everywhere! I hope to have my art presented in the traditional gallery or museum setting, while also being accessible to folks who feel the museum setting is not a safe space. I hope that means I can create murals and pop up galleries in the streets, parks, even my front yard.
Venus of Tehran
Metal, yarn, fabric
2019
UC Santa Cruz Introduction to Sculpture
Venus of Tehran is inspired by portraits of Venus lying down nude, replaced with an Iranian woman from the Qajar Dynasty. The piece was welded together, the pomegranate, a popular symbol in Iranian culture, is wrapped with red yarn to replicate its exterior.
You Are What You Eat
Wood, fabric, acrylic paint, wire
2019
UC Santa Cruz Introduction to Sculpture
The assignment was to transform an old suitcase, which I turned into a mouth for my figure’s face. Inspired by my earring brand, @kabobkidcrafts, I utilized the woodshop to create giant versions of my earrings.
No Sanctions
Woodcut and Oil-based ink
2020
UC Santa Cruz Special Topics in Printmaking
The text in Farsi reads, “No to inhumane sanctions.” This piece is protesting the sanctions placed on Iran by the United States. The people of Iran are struggling to afford necessities such as medicine and food. The value of the Iranian rial has plummeted, and the main source of income for Iran, oil, is not able to be traded with major countries to be made into gasoline. The Iranian people deserve better, and it should not be determined by another country if they can survive.
Fruits of Our Labor (F.O.O.L) 1
Woodcut, Oil-based ink, chine collee
2020
UC Santa Cruz Special Topics in Printmaking
This piece shows the inside and outside of a strawberry. Inside you can see migrant farm workers working to pick the strawberries. Society often villanizes and disrespects the undocumented workers who come to the United States for a better life. However, they are often the ones who make it possible for us, whether during fires or the pandemic, to eat.
Fruits of Our Labor (F.O.O.L) 2
Woodcuts, Oil-based ink
2020
UC Santa Cruz Special Topics in Printmaking
This is an alternate edition of (F.O.O.L.) where I utilized two blocks in order to print the chains in white that symbolize the oppression and unfair working conditions of migrant farm workers.
Anar overlay
2020
UC Santa Cruz Special Topics in Printmaking
Woodcut, Oil-based ink
Two woodcut blocks with an image of the inside of a pomegranate, anar in Farsi, overlapping each other.
Watermelon Skin
2020
UC Santa Cruz Special Topics in Printmaking
Woodcut, Oil-based ink, chine collee
This is a detailed print of watermelon skin printed with pink ink on dyed green paper.
Farsh Symbol Stamps
Linoleum, laser cutter, woodblock
2021
UC Santa Cruz Print Media in Visual Communication
These stamps, in combination with my triptych below, will be used to create a printed tapestry in the style of the traditional Persian carpet.
Mehmooni Triptych
2021
UC Santa Cruz Print Media in Visual Communication
Cotton fabric, oil based fabric ink, woodblock
This triptych is a depiction of an Iranian party, or mehmooni.
Mehmooni Triptych 1 (Child Asleep on Pile of Coats)
Woodcut, Oil-based fabric ink, cotton fabric
This is a detailed shot of the top triptych, depicting a child who has fallen asleep on a pile of coats in a room adjacent to the party.
Mehmooni Triptych 2 (Mamani and Chai with Samovar)
Woodcut, Oil-based fabric ink, cotton fabric
The middle triptych is inspired by my grandmother, happily enjoying tea with pastries, next to a leftover game of backgammon.
Mehmooni Triptych 3 (Dancefloor)
Woodcut, Oil-based fabric ink, cotton fabric
The bottom triptych is a lively dance party, typical of a mehmooni, where you can see people of all genders and ages dancing together happily.