PAR- Quarterly Issue O4

PQ.04
04.23
Do you like it?
Marker on maylar paper
18’’ × 25’’
2020

In this quarter,
April 2023:
Beer Burger Brunch
April 30th
Elena Marour
May 20 & p3
Groundbreaking
May 22 & p10
Summer Stage
June 24
Artwork by:
Elena Masrour
Do you like it?
Marker on maylar paper
18’’ × 25’’
2020

experience in which she entered garments in a textile competition, but
her entry was not considered as she photographed her designs on a live
model, a taboo in the Islamic Republic of Iran which polices depictions
of women to ensure images that perpetuate ideals of humility and chastity.
With a new wave of social restrictions beginning in 2014, Masrour
sought other avenues of creative expression and was drawn to traditional
mediums including painting and drawing. Ultimately, faced with limited
opportunities for female artists in Iran, Masrour decided to apply for
Master’s programs abroad including in the United States. Coming to the
U.S opened her eyes to the freedoms for creative expression available to
citizens of this country and underscored her desire to utilize the tools of
artmaking – pen, paper, canvas, and paint – as tools of protest to bring a
voice to her Iranian sisters.
Elena Masrour
was born on May 5, 1990 in Tehran, Iran. She received her BFA in Fabric &
Textile Design from Tehran University of Art in 2013 and received her Master
of Fine Arts in Painting from Kansas State University in 2022. She currently
lives and works in Cleveland, Ohio where she is a visiting faculty-in-residence
at the Cleveland Institute of Art.
Masrour was interested in art from a young age, especially as a legacy artist.
She recalls being ten years old and attempting to copy a self-portrait her
grandfather completed, to her grandfather’s great amusement. In high school,
she was afforded the opportunity to take several elective drawing classes and
soon realized that artist was to be her path in life. At Tehran University of
Art, Masrour initially studied fashion design. However, she encountered great
difficulties in the field, finding few real opportunities for creative enterprise
due to the strict dress code enforced by the Iranian government. She recalls an
Masrour began creating work about the religious propaganda of the Iranian
regime and the social changes that occurred after the 1978 Iranian
Revolution. Her works critique Islamic fundamentalist beliefs that control
women’s lives and limit their freedom including the governmental
policy of compulsory hijab in public spaces. Her works explore weighty
and controversial topics but juxtapose the content with formal inspiration
drawn from comic books, especially those of the Platinum and Golden
age of comics. While Masrour has a fondness for a broad range of characters
including Wonder Woman, Superman, The Hulk, Ms. Marvel and
many other comic staples, one of her most treasured influences is Blondie.
Debuting in 1930 in the New York American daily newspaper, Blondie
depicts not a superhuman woman but rather, a regular woman – a blonde
bombshell who participates in a range of mundane activities unavailable
to the women of Masrour’s home country.

Masrour draws inspiration from her own life as well as the lives of her friends
and loved ones in Iran. In “Help yourself, drink more water” a multi-story
tall female figure, clad in a pink, flower patterned bathing suit squats over
a communal swimming pool. Children and other swimmers lavish in the
idyllic setting, descending water slides and flying kites. The giant female figure,
the heroine of the painting, smiles gaily while simultaneously drowning
a man with her right foot. The piece is inspired by a story from Masrour’s
childhood when she and her family visited the Caspian Sea in 1998. Before
entering the water, her parents explained to her and her brother that they
could not swim together; she and her mother would swim in another area
for the women while her brother and father would swim in a separate area
for the men. She recalls her brother bursting into tears and how her father
attempted to calm him, promising a day full of joy with his peers but her
brother was not persuaded. As the year’s passed, Masrour reflected on this
experience, and she began to realize that “this separation would be applied to
{her} entire social life” in Iran.
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Find a bit more on the PAR- Blog: https://parprojects.blogspot.com

But is it honest?
But is it honest?
So when viewing work the ultimate question I ask myself is...
The refreshing thing about this approach is that it helps me make every attempt
to not create any unnecessary roadblocks for entry. No advanced degrees are
required. No references need to be called. No media hype will help or harm the
evaluation process. You either understand the material you’re working with —
preferably for ten years or longer — or you don’t. Because most importantly, you
can’t steal someone else’s playbook to create your truth.
Of course there’s a myriad of factors to consider. For example: Where would the
exhibition fall within our season(s)? Who needs to hear or see the work? How
does the work relate to today’s conversation? The list goes on. But ultimately,
my personal selection process boils down to those simple points, especially the
perspective piece. This helps me ask, are you an artist able to speak your truth
through your work or are you a talented individual who hasn’t yet found their
perspective — your soapbox or place to stand?
It’s simple enough. When asked, my answer is typically along the lines of “…shows
an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the material put forth. It also comes
from an honest perspective.” The question: When selecting artwork to exhibit,
what do you typically look for?
We’re bombarded with imagery, so there has to be more than just a quick reason
to pause. At every corner you can find a con-artist seeking to sell you the next
best idea. They’ll trip you up with flashing lights on mobile stage, but if you choose
too listen closely, you may find a sneeky geenie in the bottle... “By your wish... try
thy dish... buy my hiss.” In our society, to simply cause pause is to create the win
needed to advance... Then a cllick... then a like. Maybe even a follow?.
But is it honest?
To demonstrate how an honest perspective can make or break an opportunity, I’ll
share the Cliff’s Notes version of a recent studio visit I enjoyed.
The artist I’m speaking of is a White male who primarily creates work featuring
his life’s inspirations, often depicting people of color. And yes, even as I type this now,
I feel a certain kind of way. The striking thing is, when I walked into his Indianapolis
studio for the first time, it not only felt inspired, but it felt cultured.
As a quick tangent: Early in my arts training, I was taught that anyone can learn to
realistically draw a figure — it simply takes time, practice, and muscle memory —
but it takes an artist to recreate the soul of a subject.
This unsuspecting artist was finding was to depect the essence of each model he
chose to create an illustration of. Black guys with afros and jolly grins, latino women
with enough body language to control a crowd — each and every image not
only told a story, but did so from a relateable position. That said, I still could not
wrap my head around the the why. But maybe just as important, I still wasn’t sure
if I’d be able to show the work in one of our spaces at PAR-Projects. So I asked...
something to the tune of “where does all of this love an admiratin for cultures not
of your own come from?”
His answer was quite simple: Let me show some personal photos real quick. And
with that he ushered me over to living area. There, he went through the photos
that changed his perspective on life. It turns out he has spent many years as a
camp counsler of Black and Brown babies...
Find a bit more on the PAR- Blog: https://parprojects.blogspot.com

After of years and years of design and redesign,
we’ve finally been given the green light!
Show. Work. Here.
Join us as we celebrate the
Groundbreaking
for PAR- Headquarters!
Calling All Artists
Opportunities Await
qr.par.promo/U6MO
Monday, May 22nd at 4PM
1662 Hoffner Street, Cincinnati 45223