Panteha Abareshi facts for kids

Panteha Abareshi (Persian: پانته‌آ ابارشی; born 1999) is a talented artist and curator from Canada and the United States. They create many different kinds of art, including installation art (art that fills a space), video art, and performance art (art where the artist performs). Panteha's family comes from Jamaica and Iran. Their artwork often explores what it's like to live with a long-term illness or disability. Panteha Abareshi lives in Los Angeles, California, and uses they/them/theirs as their pronouns.

Early Life and Background

Panteha Abareshi was born in 1999 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They grew up in Tucson, Arizona. Panteha's mother is Jamaican, and their father is Iranian. They were mostly raised by their father.

When Panteha was two years old, they were diagnosed with a genetic blood disorder called Sickle cell zero beta thalassemia. This condition causes ongoing pain, which can get worse as they get older. Panteha uses their own experiences to create powerful art.

Education and Artistic Journey

Panteha Abareshi studied art at the University of Southern California (USC) in the Roski School of Art and Design. While at USC, artist Jennifer West was an important teacher and mentor for them.

Panteha uses their experiences with chronic illness to explore big ideas. These ideas include how medical care affects people, how people with illnesses are shown in art, and what it means to be human.

Notable Works and Recognition

Panteha's video art piece, For Medical Use Only (2019), has been very important to other artists, like Carolyn Lazard.

..... In the spring of 2020, they also released an art book called Panteha Abareshi: I Am Inside the Body. In 2021, Panteha received the VSA Emerging Artists Competition award from the Kennedy Center. This award celebrates young artists with disabilities.

Art Exhibitions

Panteha Abareshi's art has been shown in many places. Here are some of their exhibitions:

• 2017 – The Body As Site Of, a group show at Lippitt House at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
• 2020 – Art4Equality x Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness, a group show in Brooklyn, New York City. Panteha's work was also part of a public art display, with a billboard in Brooklyn.
• 2020 – Shape Open 2020: The Future is Loading (Part II), at Shape Arts in London, England.
• 2021 – Panteha Abareshi: Tender Calamities, their first big solo show, at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery (LAMAG) in Los Angeles, California. This exhibition happened during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
• 2021 – Well/Being: An Exhibition on Healing and Repair, at the University Art Museum.

Film and Video Works

Panteha Abareshi has created several video art pieces:

• Not Better Yet (2019), made using Super 8 and VHS film.
• For Medical Use Only (2019), made with 8 mm and hi8 film.
• For Parts (2020), a VHS video.

See also

• List of Iranian women artists