Fatemeh Salehi is a self-taught artist born in Kerman-Iran. She holds a Bachelors and a Masters degree in agricultural engineering economics from Azad University, Marvdasht, Shiraz. After completing her studies she worked as a teacher in national economy at Payame Noor University, Sirjan, Iran.
Fatemeh’s mother was a tailor and since she was a child, Fatemeh often made clothes for her dolls together with her mother. As an adult she decided to participate in several free-standing courses related to clothing design. As an engineer Fatemeh’s interest was to ensure sustainability of natural and renewable resources and knowledge about natural colours slowly showed up even in her clothing design and in the creation of a collection called “Toranj.” Toranj is also the name given to her daughter, a name that came from the heart of nature and then became woven into the Iranian carpet. Toranj is the central and main pattern at the heart of the carpet. It is full of bends and folds that can be used thousands of times in designing clothes.
Footprints of nature coming from her birth place Sirjan, in Iran, and especially the economic, cultural, political and architectural texture of her town, have influenced her designs unconsciously. This thousand year history of culture is an obvious source of inspiration for her way of making art.
About the work: “I want to hold speechless objects in my hands and prevent them from destroying specially the old buildings of my country Iran. Mmmm… they have been witnesses of all the good and bad events of history. They are very patient and just look at the events and have no objection. I wish I had a magical power and I would make them small and put them in a glass box that no one could harm them. They are the most harmless things on earth. I wish that I could collect all the plastics that we humans throw, could use them to cover old buildings that not destroy. I wish many things but…What should I do about the beautiful cut-off hair of the girls of my Iran.”
work in the exhibition
Toranj (2023)
- 2 dresses comprising bead work and embroidery and and design sketch.
- dimensions: (variable)
- venue: Room 2012
contact
Instagram: Sunsiose
Email: Fatemehsalehi_87(at)yahoo.com
exhibition.school 