Alexander Karamallis Exhibition at The Voorkamer Gallery

WORDS Cheri Morris

Join The Voorkamer Gallery at Chandler House for Alexandra Karamallis‘s solo exhibition entitled Pairidaeza.

New York-based artist and textile designer Alexandra Karamallis earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design in the US. Karamallis is of Iranian heritage and Bahá’í faith, an oppressed minority in Iran. Her bright and colourful pieces are expressed through varied use of pastel watercolour, gouache and collage on paper and explore themes like the oppression of women, art and minority faiths within authoritarian contexts.

This exhibition will be Karamallis’s second in collaboration with Chandler House, having previously participated in the Sewing Paradise show at the Irma Stern Museum last year. The title of her exhibition Pairidaeza refers to the old Persian word for Paradise Garden (commonly known as The Garden of Eden) and makes reference to the idyllic setting of the ancient mythological garden that is referred to in various religious stories. Her work honours and draws attention to the beauty of diversity in communities through the use of foliage as metaphor.

The exhibition runs until 31 March 2017 at The Voorkamer Gallery at Chandler House, located at 53 Church Street, Cape Town.