Master of Fine Arts Thesis Defense by Sarah Valinezhad
Advisor: Jess Worby
Subject: Master of Fine Arts Thesis Defense by: Sarah Valinezhad
Topic: The Women of Pomegranate Garden: Visual Expressions of Memory, Womanhood, and Resistance
Date: May 1, 2026
Time: 4:30 PM
Location: Hatch St. Studios
Abstract:
This thesis centers on my painting practice as an exploration of memory, displacement, and endurance within the interior lives of women. Rooted in feminist thought and informed by Iranian cultural history, the work treats domestic space as emotional architecture, rooms shaped by silence, care, restriction, and resilience. Through figurative painting, patterned interiors, and a palette grounded in pomegranate red, I construct psychological spaces where beauty and danger coexist.
Drawing from Persian visual traditions such as carpet weaving and ornament, pattern functions as a carrier of memory rather than decoration, simultaneously sheltering and enclosing the figure. Influenced by feminist art and artists including Arghavan Khosravi, Hung Liu, Louise Bourgeois, Rembrandt, and Salman Toor, the work emphasizes atmosphere over narrative and emotional truth over representation.
These paintings operate as acts of remembrance and quiet resistance, translating silenced histories into visible form while holding fragility and strength in balance.
Hatch St. Studios : 88 Hatch St. New Bedford, MA 02745