"So Far Away", a two person exhibition featuring new work by Gregory Rick and Shirin Towfiq ends May 23; don't miss it!
#shirintowfiq #gregoryrickstudio #seca #iranianart #politicalart #stanfordart #oaklandartists #25thstreetgalleries #contemporarypainting
Only two Saturdays left to see Gregory Rick and Shirin Towfiq's "So Far Away"!!
#gregoryrickstudioi #shirintowfiq #politicalart #iranianart #eastbaygalleries #25thstreetgalleries #seca #stanfordart
Shirin Towfiq's "To Learn What Returns" combines three separate photographs of the artist's mother, recovered after being lost for forty years. As she scans them, the artist moves the photographs to distort and merge them. Through this process, Towfiq evokes a non-linear sense of temporality and a warped relation to time and history.
Stop by Saturday to see Gregory Rick and Shirin Towfiq's two person exhibition "So Far Away".
#gregoryrickstudio #shirintowfiq #iranianart #politicalart #oaklandart #contemporarypainting #narrativeart #25thstreetgalleries
Gregory Rick and Shirin Towfiq, “So Far Away”
Fourth Wall
Continuing through May 23, 2026
Artwork: Gregory Rick, “National Dissonance,” mixed media collage, 40 x 60”.
Gregory Rick's paintings reflect on the tradition of resistance, confronting personal trauma, and the absurdity of control and exceptionalism, while Shirin Towfiq’s work turns to the Iranian diaspora and the experience of being a second-generation refugee searching for a relation to an inaccessible homeland. Together, the exhibition asks how histories of conflict endure in the body, in memory, and through what is inherited.
Read about the show at SquareCylinder 🔗 Link in bio
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Join us for First Friday tomorrow 5-8pm.
SO FAR AWAY
Gregory Rick and Shirin Towfiq
Gregory Rick's paintings reflect on the tradition of resistance, confronting personal trauma, and the absurdity of violence, while Shirin Towfiq’s work turns to the Iranian diaspora and the experience of being a second-generation refugee searching for a relation to an inaccessible homeland.
In Persian legend, the story of Farhad and Shirin tells that when Farhad believed Shirin had died, he threw himself from a cliff in grief, and where his blood touched the earth, red tulips bloomed. Because of this story, the tulip came to signify sacrifice, enduring love, and the persistence of memory. In modern Iran, it has also become a symbol of those who gave their lives for freedom, carrying associations with protest, resistance, and remembrance.
#oaklandfirstfridays #iranianart #contemporaryiranianart #contemporaryart #contemporarypainting
The gallery has over 20 new Gregory Rick works on paper!! In addition to the paintings on display, take a look at the portfolio for new small works.
This ceramic teardrop, "Dear One" by Shirin Towfiq, contains a peephole through which viewers can see a reflective aluminum image of the artist's grandmother, a photograph that was recovered after forty years. Embedded in the ceramic is a geometric interlace pattern, a form in Iranian tradition often associated with continuity, order, unity, and the infinite.
#shirintowfiq #gregoryrickstudio #iranianart #politicalart #contemporarypainting #oaklandfirstfriday #oaklandartmurmur #contemporaryart
Join us tomorrow, Sat. April 25 at 2pm--Gregory Rick and Shirin Towfiq will be guiding us through their exhibition--So Far Away. Their unique backgrounds bring into dialogue a history of violence and its aftermath.
#politicalart #contemporaryart # gregoryrick #shirintowfiq #oaklandartmurmur #iranianart
There wasn't enough time during the artists' reception last Saturday to hear all the stories that inspired Shirin and Gregory's work so......next Saturday at 2pm they will lead us through the show and give us the backstory! Join us!
#contemporaryart #iranianart #politicalart
#bayareaart #25thstreetgalleries #seca
Join us this Friday for a reception for @gregoryrickstudio and @shirintowfiq 5-7pm!!
The gallery is pleased to present "So Far Away", an exhibition of new work by Gregory Rick and Shirin Towfiq. Their unique backgrounds bring into dialogue a history of violence and its aftermath.
#gregoryrickstudio #shirintowfiq #25thstreetgalleries #iranianart #politicalart #contemporaryart #oaklandart
The artists' reception for "So Far Away", is Friday, April 17 from 5-7pm.
The show features new work by Gregory Rick and Shirin Towfiq . Gregory Rick's paintings reflect on the tradition of resistance, confronting personal trauma, and the absurdity of control and exceptionalism while Shirin Towfiq’s work turns to the Iranian diaspora and the experience of being a second-generation refugee searching for a relationship to an inaccessible homeland.
Shirin explains, "In Persian, the tulip is called Laleh. Each spring, wild tulips bloom across Iran; Laleh vajgoon, the inverted tulip, has long been associated with mourning and remembrance. In the Persian legend about Farhad and Shirin, when Farhad believed Shirin had died, he threw himself from a cliff in grief, and where his blood touched the earth, red tulips bloomed. Because of this story, the tulip came to signify sacrifice, enduring love, and the persistence of memory. In modern Iran, it has also become a symbol of those who gave their lives for freedom, carrying associations with protest, resistance, and remembrance."
#shirintowfiq #gregoryrickstudio #iranianart #politicalart #contemporaryart #artcollector #oaklandart #seca
The gallery is so pleased to present new works by Gregory Rick and Shirin Towfiq. Titled "So Far Away", Gregory Rick's paintings reflect on the tradition of resistance, confronting personal trauma, and the absurdity of control and exceptionalism while Shirin Towfiq’s work turns to the Iranian diaspora and the experience of being a second-generation refugee searching for a relationship to an inaccessible homeland. Together, the exhibition questions how histories of conflict endure in the body, in memory, and through what is inherited.
"So Far Away" opens tomorrow-- the reception is next Friday, April 17, 5-7pm.
#gregoryrickstudio #shirintowfiq #iranianar #oaklandart #artcollector #politicalart #contemporaryart
We so appreciate the enthusiastic reviews of Gina Pearlin's "The Travelers" by Lani Asher for @roborantreview , Agustin Maes for @themidbrow , and DeWitt Cheng for @squarecylinder_artreviews !!!
#oaklandgalleries #sfartreviews #contemporarypainting #ginapearlin
