Coast Lines » Arts
Artist Spotlight
By Anastacia Grenda
‘Miss Freedom’
Artist Makan Emadi, Claremont
Background
The Iranian émigré addresses gender issues in “Islamic Erotica,” a series he started in 2002 to express the complicated emotions he felt in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The paintings of burqa-clad women in pinup poses represent the possible “nightmarish” future of the Middle East—a clash between globalization and fundamentalist traditions.
Creation For this series, Emadi sometimes takes photographs of models to use as his subjects—one of his favorites is his wife, who poses in a burqa he bought online. For this piece, an oil painting on canvas, Emadi instead drew from photos he found in magazines and on the Internet.
Inspiration “Sexism exists in all societies. The sexism of the East is direct. It is most apparent in its mandated repressive female clothing, and legal and cultural restrictions on women’s freedom. … The traditional art of [the West] exalts the ‘weaker sex,’ though with a constant emphasis on her sexuality and little else. My work juxtaposes these two very different, but related, representations of the female.”
See It Emadi’s work is part of “Hidden Wounds, Paper Bullets: Iranian Contemporary Art,” running Nov. 7 through Jan. 10 at Grand Central Art Center, 125 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, 714-567-7233,
www.grandcentralartcenter.com. To learn more, visit
www.orangecoast.com/emadi.
Front and Center
The Crypt by Candlelight Laguna College of Art & Design’s fourth annual “Fairhaven Mausoleum Art Exhibition: AD 2009” is set amid the crypts of the 1916-era building at Santa Ana’s Fairhaven Memorial Park.
The 20,000-square-foot Greek Revival mausoleum creates a reverent space for the 50 figurative paintings, drawings, and sculptures in the juried show for college alumni and master’s students. The exhibit includes 16 stained-glass windows, hand-painted ceilings, and a marble rotunda.
“We decided to show the artworks lit by candlelight, as they would have been centuries ago in Europe,” says Regina Jacobson, exhibit chairwoman. The event also includes a selection of winners and an awards ceremony on opening night, as well as a closing party with music and a wine-and-cheese tasting.
The exhibit runs Nov. 12 through 15 at 1702 Fairhaven Ave., Santa Ana. 949-376-6000,
www.lagunacollege.edu.
Tidbit
1,080
Number of costume pieces in Cirque du Soleil’s “Kooza,” coming to the Orange County Great Park in January