Education
In 1982 Hemami received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing from University of Oregon, Eugene, and in 1991 her Master of Fine Arts in Painting from California College of the Arts where she now teaches.
In 1982 Hemami received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing from University of Oregon, Eugene, and in 1991 her Master of Fine Arts in Painting from California College of the Arts where she now teaches.
Born in Tehran, Iran, she moved to the United States in 1978 to attend college, right before the Iranian Revolution. By manipulating common Iranian and Western imagery used to gain power and spread political influence, Hemami"s work is a commentary on how this is used across nations throughout history. In her work "Home" (2006), she created a multimedia body of work by collecting photographs and stories from Iranian Americans to explore themes of displacement and representation within a home.
As of 2015, she is represented by Rose Issa Projects in London.
Exhibitions
Hemami has exhibited at national and international venues as well as guest curated exhibitions, including the following:
2002: Hall of Reflections, San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC), San Francisco, California,
2003: Hall of Reflections, 6th International Sharjah Biennial, Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates,
2008: Evocations, Rose Issa Projects, London, England,
2008: Theory of Survival for BAN 5 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, California (guest curation),
2008: Theory of Survival for BAN 5 at The Laboratory, San Francisco, California (guest curation),
2009: One Day: a Collective Narrative of Tehran at Intersection for the Arts (guest curation),
2010: Time after Time at Southern Exposure, San Francisco, California (guest curation)
2011: Zendegi: Twelve Contemporary Iranian Artists, Beirut Exhibition Center, Lebanon,
2011: A Dream of Eternity: The Artist Long Time East, Villa Empain, Brussels, Belgium,
2014: Fabrications, Theory of Survival project, Southern Exposure Gallery, San Francisco
2014: Bulletin, Theory of Survival Project, California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), San Francisco
Collections, residencies and awards
Hemami"s works have been collected internationally by major public collections including. The British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, as well as many private collections.
Hemami has been awarded a Creative Capital (2012), Eureka fellowship award (2012), Creative Work Fund (2000), the San Francisco Arts Commission, California Council for the Humanities (Cal Humanities), San Francisco Foundation, and a Visions from the New California award (2004). She has been in residence at the California Institute for Integral Studies (CIIS) (2013 – 2014), Djerassi Resident Artists Program, Montalvo Center for the Arts, Kala Art Institute (2007), The Laboratory and the Center for Public Life at the California College of the Arts (Chromated Copper Arsenate) in Oakland, California.