Exhibition: June 11 - July 24, 2027
Opening Reception: Friday, June 11th from 6-8 PM
Admission: FREE
The James Library is pleased to present a dual exhibition featuring Utopia by Amir Tabatabaei and Point to Point 2 by Niloufar Keyhani. The exhibition brings together two distinct bodies of work that examine physical and conceptual transformations, lived experiences, and the intricate balances between opposing forces.
In Utopia, Iranian-born artist Amir Tabatabaei explores the philosophical dialectic between ideal worlds and dystopian realities. Drawing from his journey immigrating to the U.S. in 2016, Tabatabaei views the immigrant experience as a Utopian quest that highlights the interplay between utopian ideals and dystopian struggles. Tabatabaei draws inspiration from 14th-century Iranian painter Mohammad Siah Ghalam to comment on enduring social issues and explore how well-intentioned acts, new technologies, and human devotions can shift between harmony and chaos in everyday life. Amir Tabatabaei is a Watertown-based multidisciplinary artist born in Iran, who immigrated to the United States in 2016 with Niloufar Keyhani. Tabatabaei has participated in numerous national and international exhibitions and the duo has developed several public artworks.
Point to Point 2 by Niloufar Keyhani is a personal exploration of the human body as an evolving archive of memory, healing, and survival. Through repeated observations of botanical forms and magnified cellular structures, Keyhani meditates on loss, adaptation, and continuous transformation. Keyhani is a Watertown-based artist who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Painting from Azad University of Tehran. She was an Artist-in-Residence at Scuola Internazionale di Grafica di Venezia in Italy (2013) and a participant in the Boston Center for the Arts Studio Residency Program. Keyhani has exhibited internationally across Iran, Lebanon, Italy, Croatia, and the United States. Her work frequently explores themes of hope, pain, and the resilience of the human body, drawing from her personal lived experiences. She is a recipient of grants from the City of Boston and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.