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Artist Conversation with Kyoko Takenaka and Samaneh Salehi
Curator Leeav Sofer paired artists Kyoko Takenaka and Samaneh Salehi together and asked them to have a conversation about the works that they each created for 'For The Love Of L.A.' These two artists have never met each other before, and the discussion recorded is their first meeting and the first time they are viewing each others' art pieces.
Artist Statement
This project for The Music Center’s For the Love of L.A. is based on a concept called "listen louder" that encourages society to be more concerned about people who are affected by COVID-19 and not visible on social media platforms. Most of these people suffer from poverty and live on the street. Also, many don’t have access to the internet and social media.
The medium I chose to convey the message is an acrylic painting. With the described concept in mind, the painting process was recorded to be presented on any digital platforms including websites and social media.
Biography
Samaneh Salehi began her career in Iran after studying graphic design at Tehran Noor Conservatory.
Since then, she chose painting as her favorite form of art to express her artistic vision. Salehi’s work has been exhibited in Iran, Dubai and Malaysia, and continues to be exhibited both in the United States and abroad. She is known for her watercolor and acrylic miniature paintings inspired by ancient Persian art and combined with contemporary techniques.
Curated by Leeav Sofer
Curator's Statement
"My intention for the project, Listen Louder L.A., is to explore the diversities of our city’s people and ideals, by offering people the opportunity to listen outside their boundaries as the centerpiece of collective art.
Three pairs of artists will be invited to participate in a two-part journey of creating their art. Artists will represent different artistic mediums, including visual arts and dance, as well as instrumental and vocal music, and will be selected from diverse socio-economic and artistic backgrounds. The project will intentionally curate pairs of artists that create opposing dichotomies. We will pair together artists that have had easier journeys to have their forms of expression heard with artists who continue to struggle to be heard.
All artists will be commissioned to create an artwork and then will be brought together in pairs to share their commission with one another and have a moderated conversation to discuss their interpretation of the prompt. Their cross interview will be recorded and then shared as the second half of the artwork’s journey."
