YBCA Announces “Nicky Nodjoumi: The Personal is Political” and “Nahid Hagigat: Etched in Time”

Image: Left: Nicky Nodjoumi, Let’s Talk, 2020. Oil on canvas, 65 x 85 in. From the Private Collection of Shilla Shakoori and Farhad Arshad. Right: Nahid Hagigat, Kurdish Woman in Yellow, 2015. Hand-painted etching from 1970’s plate, 12 x 15 inches. Courtesy of the artists and ADVOCARTSY. 

Interconnected Solo Exhibitions Tell the Story of Two Influential Iranian-American Artists, and the Personal and Political Struggles that Shaped Their Creative Practices

San Francisco, CA—(Thursday, September 5, 2024) – YBCA is pleased to announce Nicky Nodjoumi: The Personal is Political and Nahid Hagigat: Etched in Time, two interconnected solo exhibitions that offer an investigative portrait of a family of artists whose lives and outlets for creative expression become inextricably linked to political revolution. Through the presentation of distinct bodies of work by Nicky Nodjoumi and Nahid Hagigat, visitors will be invited to explore the practices of two of the most influential Iranian-American artists today, and to learn about the personal and political journey that influenced both their lives and their work.

On view October 5, 2024 through February 23, 2025, the exhibition will be presented alongside monthly screenings of the film A Revolution on Canvas, an HBO documentary produced by Nodjoumi and Hagigat’s daughter Sara Nodjoumi and her partner Till Schauder, which inspired the premise for the exhibition. The film begins by investigating the disappearance of 120 of Nodjoumi’s artworks in Tehran after his 1980 exhibition, which led to his family’s exile from their native country. Through an attempt to find the missing paintings, Sara Nodjoumi and Schauder present a layered exploration of her family’s history, her parents’ individual work as artists, and the indelible impact of politics on their lives.

Visitors will be invited to investigate these distinctive bodies of work from Nodjoumi’s surreal and kaleidoscopic paintings that explore manifestations of political power, to Hagigat’s evocative and intimate etchings about women and the ongoing struggle for freedom. Both exhibitions will be framed by an introductory gallery featuring family photos and archival material, which shed light on the personal and shared struggles that shaped each of their creative practices. The exhibition will also include a previously unexhibited 1972 animation by Nodjoumi that explores issues that continue to burden global communities to this day.

“These two exhibitions invite us to reflect on the role of artists and the power of creative expression, especially during times of political upheaval,” said Curator Amy Kisch. “How do their voices ground us in our shared humanity? What are the sacrifices they make and the impact across generations? How do we support legacies of creativity and free expression? Both Nodjoumi and Hagigat have inspired generations of artists who have followed them, and this show pays tribute to their incredible legacy, and their commitment to art and democracy—even under times of great duress.”

Nicky Nodjoumi: The Personal is Political will present a series of paintings created over the past 15 years. Throughout these works, Nodjoumi presents layered narratives that engage in political discourse and reiterate his staunch commitment to democracy. Exploring the dynamics of power, often through the use of satire, Nodjoumi transforms his personal heritage and lived experiences in Iran and the United States into scenes that resonate beyond specific contexts or geographical boundaries. His works are conceived as theatrical stages where compositions of figures—both serious and ridiculous—are brought together to illuminate stories and ideas that are at once specific to Nodjoumi’s personal history, and also allude to collective experiences underpinned by socio-political struggles. 

Nahid Hagigat: Etched in Time will offer an evocative selection of paintings, prints, and etchings that span six decades. Hagigat explores identity, with a particular eye to the constraints of politics and societal ideologies on women, through works that portray female Iranian figures through a feminist lens. Among the artworks included in the exhibition is a series from the 1970s inspired by photographs sent to Hagigat in New York by her sister in Tehran. Drawing on these images, Hagigat created scenes of women, children, and everyday life—synthesizing factual history with her personal experience in Iran and New York. Through the repetition and variation of simple images, Hagigat weaves together complex stories that move seamlessly between the personal and the global. An experimental throughline echoes across time throughout these works—using Hagigat’s own visual archive of pain, uncertainty, light, and clarity as a way of communicating with her past, present, and future. 

Both Hagigat and Nodjoumi’s practices offer a moving and discerning examination of the fight for free expression, the dynamics of power, and how the search for home shapes the lives we lead. These exhibitions collectively offer a compelling view of a family’s experiences, providing insight into the impact of political turmoil, the commitment to democracy, and the dynamics of power across different geographies and generations.

Nicky Nodjoumi: The Personal is Political and Nahid Hagigat: Etched in Time is organized and curated by Amy Kisch and supported by our Cultural Partner the Farhang Foundation. This exhibition and YBCA programs are also made possible in part by Blue Shield of California, the City and County of San Francisco, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Office of Mayor London N. Breed, San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, James R. Lilienthal Trust, California Arts Council, Yerba Buena Community Benefit District (YBCBD), Meridee Moore, Beard Family Foundation, Schwab Charitable Fund, Gaia Fund, David and Carla Crane Foundation, Andrew Skillman and Lydia Choy Charitable Fund, Amy and Hannah Eliot, Maria Kim, Tides Foundation, Wayee Chu and Ethan Beard, Amanda Minami, Klau Family Fund, Peter Rigano and Cody Hicks, Harvey and Leslie Wagner Foundation, Robert and Junko Kenmotsu, The San Francisco Foundation, and YBCA Members.

For more information visit www.ybca.org.

About the artists:

Nicky Nodjoumi was born in Kermanshah, Iran in 1942. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Art from Tehran University of Fine Arts, Nodjoumi relocated to the United States in the late 1960s, where he received his Master’s degree in Fine Arts from The City College of New York in 1974. Following his graduation, he returned to Tehran to join the faculty of his alma mater, where he continued to engage in political protest, an activity that has been foundational to his work across decades. He began designing political posters inspired by the revolutionary spirit sweeping the country, only to be exiled once more in the aftermath of the 1979 revolution. Nodjoumi’s political engagement has continued to the present day. Nodjoumi’s works are in several prominent institutional collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the British Museum in London, Guggenheim Museum in Abu Dhabi, the DePaul Art Museum in Chicago, and the National Museum of Cuba. The artist lives and works in Brooklyn and is represented by ADVOCARTSY gallery in Los Angeles.

Nahid Hagigat, born in Tehran, Iran in 1943, is a pioneering artist whose work bridges Iranian and Western art.  After graduating in Fine Arts from Tehran University, Hagigat continued her studies in the United States at New York University in the early 1970s. As she pursued her Ph.D. from New York University in Art, she often exhibited her etchings and photo etchings in Tehran and was instrumental in introducing printmaking to the Iranian art scene. In 2013, Hagigat was included in the seminal show Iran Modern, at the Asia Society in New York and recently in LACMA’s Women Defining Women In Contemporary Art of the Middle East and Beyond, in 2023. Her work is in numerous private and public collections including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The British Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Tehran Museum of Modern Art, JP Morgan-Chase, New York University, and World Bank in Washington, D.C.The artist lives and works in NYC and is represented by ADVOCARTSY gallery in Los Angeles.

About YBCA:

Opened to the public in 1993, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) was founded as the cultural anchor of San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens neighborhood. Our work spans the realms of contemporary art, performance, film, civic engagement, and public life. By centering artists as essential to social and cultural movement, YBCA is reimagining the role an arts institution can play in the communities it serves. For more information, visit ybca.org.

YBCA is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11:00am to 5:00pm. General admission is $10, and $5 for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased in person or reserved in advance at ybca.org. 

As part of San Francisco’s Downtown First Thursdays, YBCA is open until 8pm each first Thursday of the month, offering additional programming and special events. Admission is free every Wednesday and on the second Sunday of each month. 

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Abby Margulies
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