Amitis Motevalli

The work of Amitis Motevalli reflects the social injustices Muslims face living in conflict and war. She expresses it through performance art and video. Motevalli is an activist and an Ultra Fem supporter. In the past decade, she has organized workshops and art performances dealing with political and religious conflict for the U.S. Muslim Community. She was born in Tehran, Iran, and in 1977 moved to the United States and settled in Los Angeles. Motevalli received a Master of Fine Arts from Claremont Graduate University in 1998 and a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a Minor in Women’s Studies from San Francisco State University. She is the recipient of numerous awards, which include a California Community Foundation Mid-Career Artist Fellowship (2012), a National Endowments for the Arts/Andy Warhol Foundation project fellowship at 18th Street Art Center (2008), and the James Irvine Foundation, Vision of California (2007). She is the director of the William Grant Still Arts Center in Los Angeles.

15 February, 2022 • Amitis Motevalli

Baba Karam Lessons: Artist Amitis Motevalli

Iranian American artist Amitis Motevalli performs "baba karam" dance lessons, in a caricature of the street tough dance called “jahel,” often performed by women in drag as a commentary on gender and class constrictions.