Roxanna Manuchehri Talks
Even though Roxanna Manouchehri started drawing at the age of twelve, she went to a Mathematics and Physics High School in her home city of Tehran. When asked why such a different educational beginning for an artist she says simply “I did not think it could be a job. I wanted to be an architect.” On paper being an architect makes sense if you look at Roxanna’s family, her older sister is a doctor, while her younger sister is an engineer. It was at the age of eighteen when she decided that art could be much more than a hobby simply for fun. How did her family take the news of losing a potential architect for a daughter? “My parents were very encouraging” she smiles and explains how great the family support was for her art.
Roxanna earned both her BA and MA in Painting from the Art University of Tehran. During her studies, she taught painting and drawing to children, while also finding some work as an illustrator of children’s books. Upon graduation, she continued to teach at a Fine Arts College. Does she miss teaching? Not really, “I wouldn’t mind twice a week” she says. It did, however, help her make ends meet while trying to sell her art back in Iran. In the difficult world that is being a foreign artist in Korea it would be a valuable safety net that isn’t afforded due to visa restrictions.
In April of 2007, Roxanna was awarded a six month fellowship program at the National Art Studio in Chang-dong Seoul.
Why Korea?
Like so many other foreigners who end up here, Roxanna is no different. “I never actually thought about Korea until the fellowship opportunity came up.” Her old studio in Chang-dong is now featured in one of her paintings entitled “This is My Room, This is My Studio.” To imagine an artist’s studio, you’d think there would be a creative energy, something in the space that would act as a catalyst for inspiration. Roxanna’s studio was in fact the opposite of that. With a slight roll of the eyes she explains that her studio was “unfriendly”, a white plain empty space that from her painting looks like anything but a studio. To a lesser creative soul, this would be a hindrance, not to Roxanna. She painted the space adding Persian miniature boxes and written inside, in an almost “The Shining” manner of explanation, the Farsi says:”This is my room. This is my studio” over and over again. Persian miniatures traditionally include a story or a poem and illustrations were made from the text written within the boxes.
When asked about her inspiration towards her art, Roxanna replies that “It’s easier now than ten years ago. I know what I want to do now. In the beginning it was what should I paint? What should I do?” Today she has a period concept in mind and has to search less in order to put paint onto canvas. Even when she’s not in a creative mood her mind is always working. Her Korean period and her art in general can be described using a word that is generally overused by Koreans but rather fitting in this case, 'fusion'. She combines nostalgic feelings of ancestors with settings in the contemporary world that evoke curiosity surrounding Persian heritage combined with a splashed sense of irony. Lately Roxanna has been drawing a lot of inspiration from Korean women. When she first arrived in Korea, she felt that Korean girls cared too much about their appearance but now she’s used to it and furthermore is able to create art from what she has observed. She laughs remarking how she herself has changed during her stay “At first I hated the shiny high heels that Korean girls wear but now I own a bunch of pairs myself.” Roxanna loves the mixing of cultures in her art and is currently experimenting with painting traditional Korean houses, along with Korean girls wearing hijabs. She’s also been juxtaposing Korean women in common day Seoul fashion with images of Muslim women.
Can her art be considered controversial? It depends on who views it. Some of her more experimental art would definitely offend those who are not open-minded to freedom of expression. Her work depicting Mosques with non-Muslims could be risky depending on where the works are shown... “I should be careful but I cannot sensor my mind. If I was like Andy Warhol I could do whatever I like,” she continues. She is also concerned about offending Korean pride because of how she has exaggerated the style and appearances of Korean women. She realizes that Koreans aren’t a great bunch for laughing at themselves and feels that some people may not like her new work due to that fact.
Unlike the many teachers who work in Korea. Roxanna unfortunately doesn’t have a guaranteed clientele. Her paycheck is dependent upon art aficionados who the world over are a rather picky lot. Her recent experience at the Korean International Art Fair (KIAF) that ran during late September in COEX left her a little disappointed. When she was first invited to be one of nine young artists to be given a chance to exhibit theirs works, Roxanna obviously jumped at the opportunity. Unfortunately her painting received very little attention because of its location (away from the others in a coffee shop) and after the pre-arranged 20 minute presentation on her artwork, she was unable to meet any collectors or gallery people. She hopes that in the future KIAF irons out this year’s difficulties in order to better suit the artists showcasing their work. In addition, Roxanna finds that Korea’s art scene is a little too trend oriented and feels that it needs to go its own way based on actual talent instead of what is in style.
Roxanna originally stayed here because she had never lived away from her home for an extended period of time and felt that Korea would be good for her. Then, once again like so many more foreigners here, she met her now husband who at the time was an editor in a law firm. Had it not been for her husband’s job, who knows where she would be right now? Fortunately, she’s managed to continue on with her art, albeit by having to transform part of their apartment into her new studio. In five years time, she sees herself in Europe, a step which she says “is very important for me as an artist.” Combining the Qajar period women with castles in Ireland is a thought that excites her. For now though, she’s here in Seoul with a group showing planned at the Cha gallery in January, 2009 and with any luck she’ll find a sponsor for a solo exhibition shortly thereafter.
Adam Walsh