Katayoun Bahrami
she/her
Katayoun Bahrami
Red Quest #3, 2023-2024
Glass Beads, Metallic Sequins, Red Cotton Yarn, Rock Dimensions vary
Red Quest continues my exploration of fiber-based materials and the transformative potential of textiles. In this piece, I deconstruct and upcycle rocks previously used in a performance supporting the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. By adding a new layer of glass beads and metallic sequins, I infuse the rocks with shine, reflecting both the resilience and willpower of women fighting for their rights. The layering process symbolizes resistance, with each bead and sequin representing the strength that emerges through struggle. This reconstruction of materials highlights how breaking down and rebuilding can breathe new life into objects, imbuing them with renewed meaning and storytelling power.
Katayoun Bahrami
Red Quest, #1, 2023-2024
Glass Beads, Metallic Sequins, Red Cotton Yarn, Rock Dimensions vary
Red Quest continues my exploration of fiber-based materials and the transformative potential of textiles. In this piece, I deconstruct and upcycle rocks previously used in a performance supporting the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. By adding a new layer of glass beads and metallic sequins, I infuse the rocks with shine, reflecting both the resilience and willpower of women fighting for their rights. The layering process symbolizes resistance, with each bead and sequin representing the strength that emerges through struggle. This reconstruction of materials highlights how breaking down and rebuilding can breathe new life into objects, imbuing them with renewed meaning and storytelling power.
Katayoun Bahrami
Quest Project (Red), 2023-2024
Glass Beads, Metallic Sequins, Red Cotton Yarn, Rock Dimensions vary
Red Quest continues my exploration of fiber-based materials and the transformative potential of textiles. In this piece, I deconstruct and upcycle rocks previously used in a performance supporting the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. By adding a new layer of glass beads and metallic sequins, I infuse the rocks with shine, reflecting both the resilience and willpower of women fighting for their rights. The layering process symbolizes resistance, with each bead and sequin representing the strength that emerges through struggle. This reconstruction of materials highlights how breaking down and rebuilding can breathe new life into objects, imbuing them with renewed meaning and storytelling power.
Katayoun Bahrami
The Weight of The Wall, 2022
Crochet forty 4"x2"x8" cement bricks with cotton and metallic yarn, Dried Borage Vary
The ‘Weight of the Wall’ conceptualizes connecting the present and the past. Containing references of profound cultural and political significance, it includes the suffering of exile and separation, the longing for home, the confinement of the female body, and violence through suppression. The pile of cement bricks suggests a wall that draws the borders between the inside and outside. But this wall has fallen. It has been defined as creating a sense of interchangeably crossing from one world to another. Heavily weighted cement bricks with sharp edges shrouded with crochet describe the agony of being a woman in an oppressive society and being exiled from one’s family, and that hope keeps us going. In the process, I developed a sense of weight and suspension. This piece portrays what it feels like to have two worlds overlapping—the current reality and the one I remember via endurance-based processes of feminine gestures.
Katayoun Bahrami
The Mirror, 2020
Cotton Yarn, Canvas, Acrylic Paint, Fabric Marker 36”x 48”
The poem exhibits a handwritten circular pattern, symbolizing the unyielding perseverance of women in their pursuit of justice. The red cotton yarn holds multiple associations, including violence, blood, war, strength, power, and unwavering determination. It embodies qualities such as passion, desire, and love, further enriching the profound meaning conveyed by the poem.
Katayoun Bahrami
Embraced Status Installation, 2022
Acrylic and metallic yarn-Hand weaved on a jacquard loom-Cement bricks Vary
As an international student navigating the complexities of visa regulations, I reflected on this disparity. Despite my legal presence in the country, the looming uncertainty of visa renewal lingered. Inspired by this existential journey, I created a creative endeavor, magnifying the visa document into a textile using a jacquard loom. Through this process, I intimately engaged with the materials, mirroring the intertwined nature of my immigrant identity. Much like the weaving of threads, my identity is inseparable from this 'alien' status, a reality I embrace with curiosity and acceptance, embodying the spirit of 'Expect the Unexpected.'
Katayoun Bahrami
Embraced Status, 2022
Acrylic and metallic yarn-Hand weaved on a jacquard loom. 36"x54"
As an international student navigating the complexities of visa regulations, I reflected on this disparity. Despite my legal presence in the country, the looming uncertainty of visa renewal lingered. Inspired by this existential journey, I created a creative endeavor, magnifying the visa document into a textile using a jacquard loom. Through this process, I intimately engaged with the materials, mirroring the intertwined nature of my immigrant identity. Much like the weaving of threads, my identity is inseparable from this 'alien' status, a reality I embrace with curiosity and acceptance, embodying the spirit of 'Expect the Unexpected.'
Katayoun Bahrami
Weaving Strings of Grief (Collaborative work with artist Narges Poursadeqi), 2022
Cyanotype and Crochet Rocks 72” x 288”
"Weaving Strings of Grief: Woman, Life, Freedom" is an emotional, artistic response to the profound sociopolitical circumstances unfolding in Iran. In light of the ongoing struggle for personal freedom and gender equality, this fiber-based artwork is a tribute to the spirit of the Iranian people, particularly women, who confront oppression with unwavering resilience and those who lost their lives for freedom. Responding to the open call by Surface Design Journal, this installation employs textiles as a unique medium to create artwork that will leave a lasting impression on viewers. Through the emotive language of color, pattern, and fiber technique, "Weaving Strings of Grief" captures the essence of our present moment and seeks to resonate with future generations.
