Taraneh Hemami’s conceptually driven works shift in material and presentation: shimmering shattered glass prayer rugs; laser-cut wool carpet map of the city of Tehran; beaded curtains replicating governmental posters and postage stamps; a library of banned books. Examining the careful crafting of images as propagated for power and political gain, Taraneh’s recent handcrafted replications of historical archives serve as commemoratives to events, places and people, while commenting on tools of manipulation and persuasion used across nations and histories. Raised in Tehran, Iran, and living and working in San Francisco, Taraneh continues to explore themes of displacement, preservation and representation through her collective and curatorial projects, creating connections through experimental projects between artists, writers and scholars. Often participatory and anchored in community involvement, the projects promote/provoke dialogue as part of their process and presentation, exploring various topics from martyrdom to the reflections of the everyday. She has guest-curated Time after Time at Southern Exposure (2010), One Day: a Collective Narrative of Tehran at Intersection for the Arts(2009), and Theory of Survival for BAN 5 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the LAB in 2008. CrossConnections, her residency project at CCA’s Center for Art and Public Life, resulted in several collective exhibitions (2005-2006). Hall of Reflections has been exhibited at the 6th International Sharjah (2003) Biennial, UAE, as well as at the San Francisco Arts Commission (2002). Hemami has been awarded a Creative Work Fund (2000), a Visions for the New California (2004), Kala Fellowship (2007), and a Eureka Fellowship Award (2012). Taraneh is an Adjunct Professor at California College of the Arts.