ADVOCARTSY is proud to present Nahid Hagigat: A Female Gaze, A Mini Retrospective. Nahid Hagigat, a pioneering force in Iranian contemporary art, has dedicated her artistic career, spanning five decades to the exploration and creation of her own iconography, with a profound focus on the resilience of women, and the female experience. This exhibition and mini retrospective showcases Hagigat’s works spanning 50 years, from her iconic etchings and printmaking from the 1970s, to her most recent meditative works on canvas, and speaks to the world through the lens of a woman’s experience and a female gaze.
West Hollywood gallery located at 434 N La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles.
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Artist CVPress ReleaseExhibition Catalogue
Curatorial Statement
Nahid Hagigat’s art is an exploration of perception and remembrance—preserving memory and bearing witness to the lives of women, family, and society over the past five decades. Educated at Tehran University and later at NYU, she discovered printmaking as a way to merge personal experience with collective history. Her move to New York in 1968 deepened her connection to home, prompting her to depict the everyday realities of Iranian women, the family, and workers. She often created prints that blended photography with hand-drawn elements, establishing a visual language that has remained central to her practice for over fifty years.
This exhibition spans five decades of Hagigat’s work, tracing her evolving yet consistent engagement with themes of identity, gender, and social change. From her early etchings in the 1970s—such as Family Portrait (1978) and Wedding (1978) which explore the intimate bonds of family across generations—to her depictions of resilience in the face of societal constraints, her work captures the intersections of personal experience and broader cultural narratives. In Women in Red (1975) and Kurdish Women (1975), layered silhouettes transition from solid forms to vibrant abstractions, evoking the energy and strength within the female experience.
Hagigat’s pioneering approach to printmaking and etching in the Iranian art scene was groundbreaking. As one of the first artists to introduce and popularize these techniques in Iran, she played a pivotal role in shaping an entire generation of printmakers and visual artists. Her innovative use of etching—blending deeply personal narratives with socio-political themes—expanded the possibilities of the medium in the country. Younger artists looked to her as a model of how printmaking could be used not just for aesthetic expression, but as a form of resistance, storytelling, and cultural preservation. Through her exhibitions in Tehran during the 1970s, her influence extended beyond her own work, fostering a new wave of Iranian artists who saw printmaking as a powerful tool for self-expression and documentation.
Hagigat’s work also serves as a broader reflection on society, documenting shifts in power, resistance, and endurance. The Iranian Revolution of 1979, which dramatically altered women’s rights, marked a turning point in her work, intensifying her exploration of oppression and resilience. Yet, her art has never been confined to a single historical moment—it continues to evolve.
A key element of Hagigat’s more recent work lies in her use of natural imagery, notably trees, which serve as a powerful metaphor for the resilience of women. The depiction of trees as in Church front (2009) and Red Leaves (2016) evokes strength, endurance, and rootedness, reflecting the ways in which women, often subjected to societal pressures, remain steadfast in their identity and power. In these images, the trees stand tall and unyielding, their branches reaching out, mirroring the vitality and resilience of women in the face of adversity. These symbolic trees represent not only survival but also the quiet, often unseen strength of women who persist through hardship, finding ways to grow and thrive even in oppressive environments.
Throughout the past five decades, Hagigat has remained steadfast in her vision. Her work is not just about women—it is created through their gaze, their relationships, and their truths. Whether capturing moments of family life, the resilience of women, or the broader shifts in society, her art offers a deeply personal yet universal perspective. This exhibition is a testament to her lifelong commitment to documenting the evolving role of women—not just as subjects of history, but as its makers. Through her influence, her legacy extends beyond her own body of work, continuing to inspire and shape new generations of artists in Iran and beyond.
Artist Biography
Born in Tehran, Iran in 1943, and now based in New York, Nahid Hagigat is a pioneering artist whose work bridges Iranian and Western art. After graduating in Fine Arts from Tehran University, Hagigat moved to New York in 1968 and pursued a Ph. D. from New York University, where she mastered the processes of etching and printmaking. Hagigat often exhibited her etchings and photo etchings in New York and Tehran, and was instrumental in introducing and popularizing etching and printmaking to the Iranian art world. Her work deeply examines the social and political injustices faced by women on a global scale, which became even more prescient as Hagigat furthered her artistic practice. Throughout Hagigat’s œuvre, her goal is not to depict victims, but rather women for whom strength and passion for life surpasses their entanglement with oppression
In 2013, Hagigat was included in the foundational show Iran Modern at the Asia Society in New York, and in 2023 her work was included in LACMA’s Women Defining Women: Contemporary Art of the Middle East and Beyond. Hagigat’s solo exhibitions include Etched In Time at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (2024 – 2025); Taymour Grahne Projects, London; White Wall Space, New York; Litho Gallery, Tehran. Her work is in numerous permanent collections including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The British Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, JP Morgan-Chase, New York University, and World Bank in Washington, D.C. Hagigat has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Maryland Federation Of Art, Juror Selected Award, Winner; Celebrity Center, World Contemporary Art, International Fine Arts Competition & Exhibition, Best of Show Award; HTEL, Heckstcher Museum 38th Annual Art Exhibition, New York, Award of Excellence.
