April 25 - May 25, 2024
From La Mecha Contemporary:
“This exhibition centers on the persecution of the followers of the Baha’i Faith in Iran, the country of its birth. It takes an eclectic approach to the subject, utilizing a variety of traditions from realism to abstraction to installation. Subjects draw from historic as well as current incidents of religious intolerance, and the artwork reflects on their situations from different perspectives. It asks us to contemplate what it means to be deprived of everyday freedoms or even of your life, because of your religious belief.
The work in this exhibition was also created in support of the international campaign launched one year ago by the Baha’i International Community, entitled #OurStoryIsOne. That campaign honors the ten Baha’i women, aged 17 to 57 who in 1983 were executed by hanging in Shiraz, Iran because they would not recant their faith. It also supports more broadly the women in Iran who are currently struggling for justice, equality, and freedom. Their struggles became known worldwide after the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 and have been popularly known by the slogan, Woman, Life, Freedom. Although that is largely a secular movement, because our struggles are so similar, our story is one.
The installation piece, from which the exhibition takes its name, is dedicated to Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet. These women were first arrested in 2008 and served ten-year prison sentences for having actively practiced the principles of their faith in caring for their community and helping to educate children and youth.
Born in Texas, Wilkey lived in Honduras, Costa Rica, and Israel before settling in Las Cruces, NM.
Wilkey’s work has appeared in Southwest Art and Exploring TOSCA magazines and is held in private collections in the United States and overseas. She holds a master’s degree in painting and has taught at New Mexico State University, the University of El Paso, and Dona Ana Community College. She maintains an active studio practice and shows her work regularly. She is a member of the Border Artists, is a founding member of La Mecha Contemporary, and is an active member of the Baha’i Faith.”
Reception: April 25, 2024 | 6–9 pm
3803 Frutas Avenue
El Paso, 79905 Texas
915-440-3278
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