BILLBOARD EXHIBITION
ADD SPACE TULSA
Curated by Maryam Amirvaghefi
Featuring Lyndon Barrois Jr., Mehrdad Mirzaie, and Abigail Smithson
Organized by Tulsa Artist Fellow Richard Zimmerman
Great Expectations, Lyndon Barrois Jr
215 S Elgin Ave. Tulsa, OK, 74120
Photo by Dan Farnum
On view through October 28, 2023
Tulsa, Oklahoma
For more information and locations, visit addspacetulsa.com.
Tulsa Artist Fellowship programming is free and open to all.
Add Space is a project created to bring artworks to public spaces traditionally used for advertising in Tulsa, OK. The ninth iteration of this project, curated by Maryam Amirvaghefi, features work by artists Lyndon Barrois Jr., Mehrdad Mirzaie, and Abigail Smithson on billboard spaces throughout downtown Tulsa.
"The relationship between art and sport on city billboards is a dynamic fusion of creativity and athleticism. In the urban landscape, billboards serve as canvas and stage, where these two seemingly distinct worlds come together to capture the essence of human expression. The bold, vibrant advertisements for sporting events often incorporate artistic elements, such as striking visuals and captivating typography, to convey the excitement and energy of the games. On the other hand, the intersection of art and sport plays a pivotal role in addressing gender equality and engaging with political and social issues. In this synergy, artists and athletes become advocates, challenging traditional gender norms and sparking important dialogues."
- Curator Maryam Amirvaghefi
Add Space was created by Tulsa Artist Fellow Richard Zimmerman in 2019 and was made possible by the generous help and support of the Tulsa Artist Fellowship.
Dear Alley-oop, Abigail Smithson
591 W 3rd St Tulsa, OK 74103
Photo by Dan Farnum
Froozan Abdi, Mehrdad Mirzaie
209 W 11th St. Tulsa, OK 74119
Photo by Dan Farnum
Maryam Amirvaghefi (b.1989, Tehran, Iran) received her MFA from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and her BFA from the Sooreh University. Amirvaghefi's works are mixed media medium of painting, video art, and sculpture pieces. Her work has been included in a number of exhibitions, nationally and internationally, such as Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair 2023; Turkey; The Museum of Art in The University of Southern Mississippi's School of Performing and Visual Arts, Hattiesburg MS; CICA Museum; South Korea; Mey Gallery, LA; Studio 200 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; Bavan Gallery, Iran; Charlotte Street Foundation, Kansas, City, MO; Aaran Gallery, Iran; Gallery 263, Cambridge, MA; Soo Contemporary, Iran; Walton Art Center, Fayetteville, AR; Etemad Gallery, Iran; Jodee Harris Gallery, Greensburg, PA; Delaware State University, Dover, DE, among many others. Her work has been published in the n+1 Magazine, Dovetail Magazine (issue 2), AL-TIBA Art Magazine, The Magenta Publication, Studio Visit Magazine, and Average Art Magazine. She is currently working at the University of Arkansas School of Art as an Assistant Director of Exhibitions and Instructor. In addition to her studio practice, Amirveghefi has curated shows from Iranian and American artists in Tehran. Iran and USA and co-curated exhibitions that feature artists such as Laleh Khorramian, Jordan Nassar, Wafa Bilal, Sheida Soleimani, Yasmine Diaz, and many others.
Lyndon Barrois Jr. (b. New Orleans, LA) is an artist based in Pittsburgh, PA, and an Assistant Professor of Art at Carnegie Mellon University. He is half of LAB:D, with artist Addoley Dzegede, with whom he has collaboratively staged four exhibitions, and co-authored a book of essays (Elleboog, at the Jan van Eyck Academie in 2019). He uses cinema as a means to travel both temporally and geographically, bringing to mind ideas of anachronism, simultaneity, and reanimation. Looking at branding strategies of old cinema—along with the phased-out profession of shooting film stills—he considers these methods ways to represent a film that has yet to be seen. Another current body of work investigates how fashion images function as constructed figments of the imagination onto which we project our desires and lived realities. In various ways, Barrois navigates questions around color, control, taste, waste, and the layering of information. Barrois Jr. received his MFA from Washington University in St. Louis (2013), and his BFA in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore (2006). He has completed residencies at LATITUDE Chicago, Loghaven, the Van Eyck Academie in Maastricht (Netherlands), Fogo Island Arts in Newfoundland, and the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin, Ireland.
Mehrdad Mirzaie is a multidisciplinary artist from Iran, based in the US, whose work predominantly revolves around the image-based medium with a deep focus on reinterpreting images of the past and the interplay between past and present. Currently pursuing an MFA in photography at Arizona State University. Born and raised in Tehran, Mehrdad received his BFA in photography from the Tehran Art University in 2012. His artistic practice has shown an exploration of the power of images as vessels of historical narratives. With a keen interest in archives, image studies, and alternative processes, Mehrdad delves into the complexities of the relation of history and narrations. Over the past decade, Mehrdad has contributed to various archive projects, both individually and as part of collaborative teams. His studies to reimagining history are not limited to the medium of photography alone; rather, he uses a diverse range of artistic mediums to visualize his thoughts. This interdisciplinary approach encompasses political, societal, and cultural dimensions. Mehrdad's artistic process is rooted in his interest in the history of photography, which serves as a wellspring of his inspiration. His exploration extends beyond physical photographs and delves into the realm of mental imagery, where he contemplates the narratives behind the images and seeks to shed new light on established historical narrations. Mehrdad tries to generate a discourse that invites viewers to critically engage with the image of the past, and also he tries to spark conversations that traverse time periods and prompt contemplation of the intricate relationship between history and contemporary society.
Abigail Smithson is a visual artist and a Lecturer in the Art+Film Department at Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata, CA. Her art practice is rooted in the appreciation, translation, and act of archiving photographs and objects. The game of basketball has been a longtime muse for her and she follows and believes firmly in the New Craft Artists in Action collective motto, which is Participation vs. Spectatorship when it comes to sports. Through her podcast Dear Adam Silver as well as her visual work, she questions the current narrative around sports and art and how the two cultural entities overlap and live side by side. She was born and raised in Redwood City, CA.
Richard Zimmerman (b. 1981) lives and works in New York. He earned an MFA in Studio Art from Cornell University and a BFA in Painting from Pratt Institute. While at Cornell University, he was a recipient of the John Hartell Graduate Award, a Cornell Council for the Arts Grant, and a nomination for The Dedalus Foundation Master of Fine Arts Fellowship in Painting and Sculpture. He was recently awarded a residency at Real Time & Space in Oakland, CA. His past exhibitions include ‘Fluid Means’ at Artlot, Brooklyn, ‘Touch Move’, at Royal Nonesuch Gallery, Oakland (2017), ‘After Laughter’, at Werk Gallery, Los Angeles, ‘Meditating America’, Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle.
“The Best Is In Front Of Me: #1, #9”, Lynda SmithSchick
209 W 11 St. Tulsa, OK
Photo by Dan Farnum
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