About Jamileh Salek
An Iranian artist and daughter of a tailor, I was born in the north west of Iran in Tabriz. Growing up in a part of the city on the Silk Road with the World’s Largest Covered Bazaar, I was surrounded by colourful fabrics, carpets, and a multiplicity of designs. Art making was a part of our lives.
I have always been fascinated with positive and negative space in Eastern art, and with Iranian and Japanese miniatures. I strive for unique and poetic statements, and I aim to achieve mysterious simplicity, regardless of the medium.
I use minimum elements to portray fictional and mysterious worlds. I create silence and latency in my works through the scarce use of forms and colour, leaving the narrative without the certainty of an ending; in this way viewers can imagine their own.
The contradictions and paradoxes in my work often reflect cultural issues and migration, and the complexity and challenges of women's lives.
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Paintings
The paintings I create range from realism, to almost abstract. The subjects can be deeply personal or playful or evoke a mood.
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Textile art
My fabric arts series reflects women’s deep history and connection to the textile industry. My art is intended to evoke nostalgic feelings and I focus on Eastern aesthetics to create a fantasy world. I use a mixture of mediums including hand-sewing techniques, quilting applications, needlework, home-made natural pigments, embellished cloths and accessories such as beads. The cloth is often recycled textiles.
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Books: writing and illustration
The book for children about COVID called "A teeny tiny Virus" was selected as a fundraiser by the Stephen Lewis Foundation.
Another three books are in development: "Snowy People - a place to call home sweet home", "The Legend of Malik Mammed" and "Do You Think I am an Ordinary Cat?"
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Artistic heritage
My home town, Tabriz ,has a history steeped in artistic rugs and carpets. Many individuals in the region weave rugs and carpets in their homes. Growing up in a part of the city on the Silk Road with the World’s Largest Covered Bazaar, art making was a part of our lives..
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Studies
My engagement with the academic arts spans my undergraduate degree in Fine Arts and a Masters of Fine Arts (with a thesis focusing on Postmodern Art) from Alzahra University and Tarbiat Modares University.
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Awards and recognition
I have received awards in Canada including the Toronto Arts Council’s Newcomer and Refugee Artist Mentorship grant in 2018.
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For more details on my career and academic credentials please click here to download a PDF version of my complete CV
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Awards and recognition
-Toronto Arts Council’s Newcomer Artist Mentorship grant in 2018
-Selected for the inaugural thesis of the academic year in the Master's Degree program at Tarbiat Modares University, exploring Post-Modernism in the Visual Arts in 2001
-Honoured with an award for Student of the Year at Tarbiat Modares University in 2000
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Selected exhibitions:
2019-2023: Toronto Outdoor Art Fair
2019: Flying Colours, Fabric Art Exhibition, Don Mills Library
2018: The World I Live In, Gallery 1313
1994-2006: Solo gallery shows in Tehran and Tabriz, Iran
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Current projects
- "Nightingale in a pomegranate" painting series
- Textile artworks
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Books
- "Snowy People - a place to call home sweet home"
- "The Legend of Malik Mammed"
- "A teeny tiny Virus"
- "Do You Think I am an Ordinary Cat?"
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