Omid Shekari earned a Sculpture Space residency

Omid Shekari, an assistant professor in Pitt’s Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, was awarded a two-month residency at the Sculpture Space studio in Utica, New York.

The Iranian multimedia artist who teaches painting in the Department of Studio Arts will be one of six artists from across the nation to spend October and November living near the 5,500-square-foot shared studio. The program emphasizes a collaborative environment, and communal aspects of the residence help foster dialogue, the exchange of ideas, creative experimentation and both personal and professional connections.

In his artworks, Shekari reveals how force and violence determine the rhythms of power structures. His most recent installation — “مخل (Disruptive),” inspired by power dynamics and revolution in his homeland — was on display this summer at the Sculpture Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

Shekari’s paintings, drawings and 3D art have also been exhibited at The Drawing Center, Wilmer Jennings Gallery, the New Art Dealers Alliance Art Fair in New York, the Woodmere Art Museum in Philadelphia and Azad Art Gallery in Tehran, Iran.