Women's Studies Research Center

"The Pearl that Slipped its Shell"

Feb. 24 - April 5, 2016

Wendy Wolfe Fine

Hadassah-Brandeis Institute Artist-in-Residence and Exhibition

Post card for Wendy Wolfe Fine's exhibit titled "The Pearl That Slipped its Shell." The card contains 3 rows of 4 images. In between the rows of images is the text: “The Pearl That slipped its Shell. Wendy Wolfe Fine. Kniznick Gallery. Aril 6 - June 24, 2016.” Pictures in the top row from left to right: a dish containing dried apricots, with a painting behind it; a table setting with a bowl of olives, a hard boiled egg, 2 other small dishes, a glass and a blue wine glass. The foods are set on an elaborate white napkin atop a Persian rug; A photo of a coastline with clouds at sunset; A sliver of an image of a woman’s arm squeezing a lemon on a blue citrus juicer. Row 2, left to right: an image of fall trees with a strip of words, not all of them visible, saying: …”tinue to burn and the trees co…”; Two mirrors on an Oriental rug. Reflected in the larger mirror are 2 eggs in egg cups and a small china dish containing a brown dip; A dish with roccoli and pita bread with a serving dish containing a baked dish resembling a frittata set on pita bread. Row 3: an image of tropical trees with portions of words that read: “...ley salute. ...announces a cessat…” A dish containing a tomato onion, pepper, corn salad; A picture of a clothesline with 2 pictures hanging by clothespins. The pictures depict an Iranian elder and a map; a photo on the clothesline of a young boy standing in front of bricks and a portion of a photo with a brown landscape.

The Pearl that Slipped Its Shell relays the experiences of Jewish women in Iran as a result of the Islamic Revolution of 1979, specifically those of the Mizrahi family, who immigrated to the United States and carry on Iranian Jewish traditions. Fine’s immersive installation incorporates video, photography and cultural objects to re-envision transformation and loss in the personal freedoms and cultural lives of Iranian Jewish women after the Revolution, when their country shifted from a secular state to a theocracy of Islamic fundamentalism.

A large wooden planting container with small green plants growing and grow lights.

Wendy Wolfe Fine, installation view of The Pearl that Slipped Its Shell, Kniznick Gallery, 2016