This exhibition highlights contemporary Iranian-British artist Samira Abbassy (b. 1965), focusing on the hybrid iconography that defines her style as well as her invented settings that dip into surreal, psychological space. Drawing on European artistic training and research into Western and Central Asian art histories, Abbassy merges diverse influences in a process she has described as both “cross-pollination” and “cultural cannibalism.” The resulting paintings, drawings, collages, and sculptures present questions about navigating multicultural identity and the ways artists claim, reinterpret, and transform visual traditions. The exhibition will feature artwork spanning her thirty-year career alongside a newly commissioned installation created in response to the historic collections at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.

This exhibition is curated by Emily Jacobs ’23, Curatorial Assistant and Manager of Student Programs. Financial support is provided by the Elizabeth B.G. Hamlin Fund.