Sheida Soleimani was commissioned to contribute to the MFA Boston's ongoing "Banner Project", which engages artists to create banners for the Museum's Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art.
For her “Banner Project,” Soleimani has photographed her parents with their backs to the camera, each raising a single fist. This pose, often associated with solidarity and unity, is one of many clues in the pictures that indicate her parents are political dissidents: Iranian refugees who fled their home to avoid persecution. Soleimani’s photographs shield her parents while providing suggestive, layered signs pointing to the sociopolitical landscape that shapes their lives. Picturing a variety of objects—each a different material representation of Soleimani’s parents’ experiences and stories—these banners invite visitors to follow traces, unpack allusions, and draw connections to the wave of protests taking place across Iran today.
Soleimani's banner will be on display from August 20, 2023 till June 23, 2024. More information here
