Artist: Mahsa Soroudi
Exhibition: Natures Candence
Media: Planting, Photography
Website: https://www.mahsasoroudi.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mahsasoroudi/
Mahsa Soroudi is an artist. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Visual Communication from Azad Art and Architecture University in Tehran since 2006. She was born and raised in Iran. She states she was in a moderate Muslim family. Mahsa and her family went on many vacations to near by asian countries. Her father was a painter, so she always had a connection with art from a young age. After she got married to her husband in Iran, Soroudi and her husband both left the country and moved to Malaysia for about a year. She learned english while she was living in Malaysia and about a year later moved to America.
Soroudi’s art project is a combination of different types of succulents. The succulents came in a variety of different sizes and shapes. There was some that were small and smooth and others that were tall and pointy. They were put into different pots. Some pots were clear so you can see the roots growing throughout the soil and others where solid colors. The top of the soil in some pots was covered with a vibrant green weed like grass. The succulents were this pastel green and some of them had vibrants pink flowers sprouting through them. Some of her pants stood up tall and others dropped down from the pots.
Soroudi’s art project portray the resettlement of her life coming from Iran to America. She does this through identifying with the replantation of ornamental plants and their adaptation to a new environment. She does this by cutting parts of her plans and growing entirely new plants from each little piece. She is trying to show that just as plants take a long time to adapt to their new environment and grow to be brig and strong she similarly goes through the same changes in life. She talks about how she forgets to water her plant and it fights and is resilient to survive and overcome its trials. Soroudi similarly goes through hard times and overcame her obstacles in life.
Soroudi did an amazing job conveying her message, and had beautiful way of explaining her artwork. The connection she made about the plants to her life were very creative and interesting. It was fascinating getting to hear about her life and her perspective on growing up in Iran compared to other people I know. It is inspiring to know that she is following her dreams despite all the trials and tribulations she has had in life.
Shivani Patel 