Shabnam Jannesari brings She Sat Where The Light Awaited to Erie Art Museum

Erie, PA - Iranian-born Shabnam Jannesari will be the next artist to exhibit in the Erie Art Museum's main gallery, opening September 4th during the Art After Dark concert series. Influenced by the rich visual culture of her birthplace, Isfahan, Jannesari's paintings incorporate flat patterns and bold forms to explore abstraction, memory, and identity. Her highly saturated palette draws from childhood memories, such as the colorful carpet in her grandparents' home in Iran. These carpets, symbolic of paradise, inspire a dreamlike world where past and present merge. In her paintings, Jannesari transforms her closest friends and family into figures in surreal and hopeful visions of an alternate reality, expressing deeply personal stories that are also relatable to women who have been censored, sexualized, or oppressed by patriarchal social structures.

In addition to being present for the museum's fall Gallery Night, Shabnam will be giving a talk on Saturday, September 20th at 2 PM about her art, practice, and inspiration.

About the Erie Art Museum

Located in Erie, Pennsylvania, the Erie Art Museum holds the region's leading art collection with more than 8,000 objects spanning American ceramics, paintings, sculpture, and photography. The museum regularly hosts special exhibits bringing art and inspiration to the community. It also hosts lectures, and educational programs and provides artists' services including interdisciplinary and interactive school tours.

The Erie Art Museum is open every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 11 am - 6 pm, Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm, and Sunday from 1 - 6 pm. The museum routinely posts updates on activities on social media

- Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

For more info on upcoming programs, visit erieartmuseum.org or call 814-459-5477.