“ Human love is depicted as a metaphor for man’s love of God and striving for union with Him.” “ The lady, the lover, and God at once are subject, object, and transmitter of seeing.”

--- Sheila Canby-art historian, The Rebellious Reformer: the Drawings and Paintings of Riza-yi `Abbasi of Isfahan

Exhibit 9, an art gallery in Washington, DC, founded by Sarah Barzmehri, will feature a unique mix of art and talk on the occasion of Valentine’s Day (Opening Reception: Saturday, Feb 14, 2pm - 6:30pm).

The gallery will feature artwork by the famous Iranian and internationally acclaimed artist, Nasser Ovissi who is well known to the Iranian community of greater Washington and throughout the U.S.

Exhibit9 will also include work by Fariba Amini, in addition to material by Sarah Barzmehri herself and by other artists in the area.  Its website states that the gallery is proud to present “both established and emerging artists in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. E9 is proud to show case artists regardless of race, ethnicity, economic status, or other variables in one’s background, art is a tool that can be employed to unify communities, providing an umbrella and safe haven for expression and exchange of ideas.”

Sarah, who attended Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, has worked with nonprofit organizations in the area and does fund raising for humanitarian causes through her gallery.

Dr. Rudi Matthee, a specialist in Iranian history with a focus on the Safavid period, will give a talk titled “Love in Safavid Iran.”  Matthee, who graduated from UCLA, is distinguished professor at the University Delaware. All of his books have won major international awards, among them the British-Kuwaiti Friendship and Albert Hourani book awards.    His presentation will focus on the various depictions of “love” in Safavid art and how they relate to what we know about “love” in daily life in the same period.

Fariba Amini is a journalist and human rights activist who has been a feature writer for Iranian.com and has written numerous articles on Iran and its history for various websites in the U.S. and Iran.   She recently translated and illustrated the famous children’s story The Little Black Fish, which was published by Press Xpress.  A new book, another translation of Samad Behrangi’s work, One Peach, a Thousand Peaches, will be published soon. She has also taken to art, ceramics and painting, sometimes mixing the three in her work, and this exhibit will feature some of the results.