Shirin Towfiq is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily with installation, sculptural photography, textiles, and printmaking. Drawing from her positionality as a second-generation Iranian refugee, she explores the complexities of belonging and placemaking through archival research and intergenerational communication with a diasporic lens. She focuses on everyday elements of visual culture as produced by migrants, reflecting on the traces of cultural memory, history, and temporality.
Revolution, a series of Persian rugs printed on gauzy fabric, hangs in YBCA’s Grand Lobby to offer a space for reflection and inspiration. Known for their elaborate patterning, rich colors, and fine craftsmanship, they express a history of profound cultural pride. Featured in For Freedoms’ Eyes on Iran activation, Revolution faced the United Nations during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, as part of a tapestry of artistic interventions that called for the removal of the Islamic Republic of Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women. We invite you into this space to reflect on freedom, transformation, and your own migrations.
Grand Lobby, YBCA
Shirin Towfiq
b. 1992, Oceanside, CA
Lives and works in Oakland, CA
Revolution, 2022
Dye sublimation prints on voile
Courtesy the artist
