Taravat Talepasand, who recently joined Portland State as an assistant professor of art practice, strives to create space for students that allows for understanding and conversation. Creating such a space is what she had in mind when she opened the “Woman, Life, Freedom” exhibition in January at Macalester College’s Law Warschaw Gallery in St. Paul, Minn.
As an Iranian American artist, many of Talepasand’s works of art serve as commentary about women’s rights and freedoms. Perhaps one of the most provocative pieces in the current exhibit is titled “Blasphemy X,” which uses graphite to depict a veiled woman revealing high heels and a glimpse of underwear from beneath her robe while giving the finger.
Days after the exhibit opened, Muslim students at Macalester College expressed concern with the artwork and how it depicted traditional Islamic dress. Talepasand’s exhibit was temporarily closed, shrouded in black curtains, before reopening with content warnings and purple construction paper at eye level hiding pieces like “Blasphemy X” from passersby to protect “non-consensual” viewing.
The censorship of Talepasand’s work caught the attention of the media, resulting in several stories including a recent New York Times column exploring the controversy. We talked with Talepasand to learn more about censorship, diversity and holding space for complicated conversations.
What was your initial reaction to the censorship of your exhibit?
It felt particularly problematic because of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement which is happening in Iran. Women are putting their lives in danger in order to protest and resist against the Islamic Regime. This exhibition intended to support those who are fighting against the regime that mandates women to cover their hair and bodies. It was unethical to censor this exhibition — literally veiling the exhibition that aimed to express female empowerment and human rights.
A piece from Talepasand's "Woman, Life, Freedom” exhibition.I wasn’t supported by the institution or the gallery. Their decision was hyperbolic and thus created an environment supporting an adversarial reaction to the exhibition. There was a lack of open conversation, especially with me and the other students at the institution that are not apart of this specific religious group.
There’s a bigger grievance from these students and they have a right to their feelings. I have compassion for these students. I hoped that given the context for the works and having this exhibition in an academic institution, that it would promote conversations. My intention was to encourage conversations in a learning environment where students can ask, ‘How did she make this?’ or ‘How did she come up with this narrative?’ And ‘What does this mean to this community and culture?’ and really learning the practice of artists that are being exhibited.
I invite my students to visit JSMA (the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at PSU). We talk about the intentionality behind the artist's work, how the students feel about that artist's perspective, what associations they have about the work, what they’re witnessing and how to talk about it. This was all censored for the majority of Macalester students as they were being told not to enter the space or to enter with caution. This doesn’t promote critical thinking and dialogue that higher education fosters, especially when a religious group overrides the majority to “non-consensual” viewing controlling who can or cannot view an exhibition. It’s a very sensitive situation.
What does it mean to be censored under the umbrella of art?
Representation Matters. One must consider the really difficult and controversial artworks in history, or even in our current modern art world, as we push forward in celebrating different identities, different sexualities, and different social groups. If we don’t talk about them, then how can we actually account for them? We can write about them but with the art being a visual language we can actually lock that in for more inclusive conversations.
As an Iranian-American woman, my work grapples with the imagery and emotions of oppressed women and how to render and claim their lived experiences as an empowered being. The body is a sacred vessel. I focus on the female body as we're still — even here in the United States — fighting for autonomy of our own bodies. I feel that it is important on how art and justice and academic freedom intersect in today's world.
How can we have healthy conversation about art and censorship?
I believe that higher education is learning how to engage in critical dialogue and thinking with a variety of people. I’m an advocate of racial and social justice who is also invested in making sure diverse students are respected and that an environment is created in which they feel they belong and are recognized. These are conversations that we can all really learn from.
This issue is happening in many other institutions. This is a great place for us to learn from each other — what is the protocol? Don’t have one? Let’s create it. I truly believe that there's a lot of room for learning and how we can hold space for complex arguments and disagreements.
How can we learn from this and promote a healthy atmosphere in conversation, critique, and discussions both in the classroom and in the galleries on campus?
Art is subjective. It's not like a math equation where there’s only one way to figure out the answer and outcome. Art is supposed to promote feelings, and sometimes it can be very reactionary, like the artists Kara Walker or Hank Willis Thomas. We need these artists and their work to further conversations and discussions around culture and identity so that we can learn from each other and the vast diverse communities that we are also a part of.
As an educator and artist I am practicing this everyday. I’m creating a safe space for my students to engage openly with their peers to express their ideas around their human experience regarding race, gender, class, socioeconomic positions, etcetera. How can we come together and feel safe in sharing who we are, but also ask questions about who others are and how they're creating?
It is an honor to be in an educational environment where I get to work with students and advocate for their full creative potential and support it outwardly. To be vulnerable to create and share with your peers and community is a huge step for students. I encourage deeper conversations and connections with my students so that they feel heard, seen, and to be reminded that they are more than enough. This happens when you're part of an art department. There's a lot of sensitive, complex, complicated political and controversial imagery that students are working through and with — it can be really challenging, but we can learn from those challenges and that’s what I hope we can be open to working with together.