The Middle East Institute (MEI) Arts and Culture Center proudly presents Maximal Miniatures: Contemporary Art from Iran, a groundbreaking exhibition on display at the MEI Art Gallery from February 3 to May 23, 2025. Curated by Donna Honarpisheh, Associate Curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, Maximal Miniatures features the work of 13 leading contemporary Iranian artists who draw from the classical genre of Persian miniature painting and its references to history, mythology, poetry and more to create new interpretations in color, scale and form.
Building upon the miniature’s transnational legacy, the featured artists cross multiple boundaries in their work to focus on questions of identity, gender, ecology, diaspora, and the mythologies that form past and present lives. These new interpretations create images that go beyond representation and enter into the realm of the surreal, abstract, and otherworldly.
“This exhibition underscores the evolving narrative of Persian miniature art while offering audiences a deeper understanding of Iranian contemporary culture and its rich artistic heritage,” said curator Donna Honarpisheh.
Featured artists include Reza Derakshani, Parinaz Eleish, Amir H. Fallah, Arghavan Khosravi, Farideh Lashai, Farah Ossouli, Kour Pour, Elham Pourkhani, Shahpour Pouyan, Iman Raad, Bahar Sabzevari, Soraya Sharghi, and Mahsa Tehrani.
Press release from the Middle East Institute
Image: Mahsa Tehrani. A Land of Magnets and Miracles. 2023. Oil on canvas. 140 x 291 cm. Image courtesy of the artist and Bavan Gallery
