Nov 22, 2017 3 min read

For Kiana Honarmand, art is a natural platform upon which to explore the experience of being human.

With her current exhibit at Washington & Jefferson College’s Olin Fine Art Gallery, “Behind the Black, Brown and Gold,” Honarmand “wanted to create something that is a small window to my world.”

“I’m trying to introduce people to my world, my experiences,” she said.

Honarmand’s experiences include growing up in Iran, where, she said, women are treated as second-class citizens.

Moving from the Middle East to the United States in 2012 allowed her to have greater freedom of expression.

“I was doing mainly photography before. When I came here, I started taking sculpture (classes). The materials and processes – it changed technically but it also became more of a challenge, trying to talk about things related to my experience. It was difficult and still is difficult talking about a different culture,” said Honarmand, who earned a master’s degree and now works for Penn State.

“In Iran, you do have to censor yourself. There are definitely more limitations for what type of work you can show publicly. That’s not something I have to do here. I can say most of the things I want to say. In general, I feel like I can talk about anything that I want here.”

With her series of portrait busts of women in hijab, Honarmand addresses the way women are treated in Iran.

The busts, “reference the violation of women’s rights in Iran’s patriarchal society,” she explains on her website. “In rules of Islam, women are required to obey their husbands and ask for the husband’s permission to do simple things, like leaving the house. In Iran, women don’t have the right to a divorce without their husband’s agreement. Women don’t get custody of their children. The father or paternal family gets the custody of a child after a divorce, or death of the father. These laws and many others support domestic abuse, and make it more difficult for women to get out of abusive homes.”

She explores these issues through the use of various materials and processes. Installations allow her to provide a more complete experience, rather than just a visual.

Honarmand is currently working on a series of bronze masks that represent face coverings, and wants to create public art pieces for a broader audience.

“I want to talk to people in society, not just in galleries,” she said.

Her work, she said, is mainly about her experience as a woman growing up in Iran, her impression of women, censorship and surveillance.

“To me, art is a place where we talk about our experience and the subject of just being human,” said Honarmand. “I think it’s a safe place to talk about issues that are otherwise difficult to discuss.”

”Behind the Black, Brown and Gold” runs through Dec. 3.

Olin Fine Art Gallery, 285 E. Wheeling St., Washington, is closed through Sunday for the Thanksgiving holiday. It is open Monday through Friday from noon to 7 p.m. during exhibition dates. All events and exhibitions are free and open to the public.