April 7 – 12
Reception: Friday, April 10, 5-8pm
Location: Backspace Gallery, Art Lofts, 111 N Frances St, Madison, WI
Blood is woven into the collective identities of anyone who fights against the prescribed identity given by the Islamic regime in Iran. However, for decades, Iranian women have met that violence with courage, defiance and perseverance, resisting oppression and fighting for dignity, identity, and freedom, even in the risk of arrest, torture, and death. Dance of Defiance is a multi-layered memorial exhibition, where the personal becomes political, and where trauma is not narrated, but felt.
Fatemeh Fani is an Iranian researcher, activist, interdisciplinary artist and an MFA student in studio art at UW-Madison. Her studio practice, grounded in her personal traumatic experience as an Iranian woman, is dedicated to raising awareness of the prevailing restrictions, exclusions, and discriminations that affect Iranian women in every aspect of their lives.
The Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibitions season continues with Fatemeh Fani’s exhibit Dance of Defiance. The MFA Thesis Exhibitions mark the culmination of a three-year degree program that emphasizes development of a rigorous studio art practice under the supervision of a faculty guidance committee. Exploring an interdisciplinary approach to art making, as well as coursework in art history and related fields, artists cultivate professional practices that facilitate a sustainable career in the arts. Join us in celebrating our Class of 2026 UW-Madison Graduate professionals!