The Revolutionary Women Series

An excerpt from a review written by artist and critic Greg MackLemore.

The other aspect of this exhibition is what I have referred to as Vahdat’s depiction of Heroes. She has used the solar plate printmaking technique to depict women of importance within the Women’s Rights Movements, both in Iran and the United States. She has chosen ten from each of the two countries that exemplify exceptional bravery and audacity. Some of those included are Princess Taj Soultan, Alice Paul, Gloria Steinem, Zainab Pasha, Sardar Bibi Maryam Bakhtiyari, Ida B. Wells, Sedigheh Dolatabadi, Sojourner Truth and Forough Farrokhzad. She has also included, in the exhibition, information about each of these women. While I appreciate the importance of these women and their role in US and Iranian history, I must confess that I also thoroughly enjoyed the Vahdat’s visual presentation/ portraits of them. I have certainly seen my share of hero portraits, but these feel exceptional. They are based on photographs, but each has been manipulated to feel unique and compelling. They, like all of Vahdat’s work, open up to you, as you open up to them.