I Hold Earth As Earth Holds Me
Nilou Kazemzadeh, MFA 2024, Printmaking
In my mixed-media practice, I create works that embody a personal connection to place and lineage as a form of revolt against isolating and harmful power systems built on politically motivated agendas driven by personal interests. I allow myself to be held and shielded by the memories of my family, my heritage, and the mysteries of the earth. All of these domains and their intricacies are intertwined to form an environment of joy. In this quiet space, my hands are heavily present, forming carefully chosen materials into visual experiences of resilience. I employ a wide variety of media including my family's archives that have been preserved, passed down, and then reimagined; minerals found in a local stream in Maryland that have been gathered and hand-ground into pigments; and clay, that is given shape by my hands and covered with the pigments I have ground. Each material goes through an act of becoming and through them I am able to see connections to myself and the world around me. How can connecting to one’s roots create a space of joy and healing? How is the act of care a radical rebellion against toxic societal constructs that uphold power structures? I think about these questions as I experience my work and imagine a future that is not based on self-gain, but one that honors our bonds with the world around us and ourselves.
!["Holding Earth"
Dried clay, ceramics, mineral pigments, plaster. Photo Credit: Neighboring States](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f3c104daf9e6f2b7d93ecc0/6cb9b781-5c88-47b3-907f-d96425daf9b7/Kazemzadeh_Nilou_01.jpeg)
"Holding Earth" Dried clay, ceramics, mineral pigments, plaster. Photo Credit: Neighboring States
!["Holding Earth," (detail)
Dried clay, ceramics, mineral pigments, plaster Photo Credit: Neighboring States](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f3c104daf9e6f2b7d93ecc0/87eba22e-5c8b-4be8-87e4-895ba1f8768c/Kazemzadeh_Nilou_02.jpeg)
"Holding Earth," (detail) Dried clay, ceramics, mineral pigments, plaster Photo Credit: Neighboring States
!["A Mighty Tree Uprooted Becomes," (still) Installation View, Video.
//
"Tulips Never Die" Installation View, Ceramics, mineral pigments. //
"Holding Earth" Installation View, Dried clay, ceramics, mineral pigments, plaster. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f3c104daf9e6f2b7d93ecc0/7ce8d73f-0e9c-4476-85b6-b026a962483a/Kazemzadeh_Nilou_03.jpg)
"A Mighty Tree Uprooted Becomes," (still) Installation View, Video. // "Tulips Never Die" Installation View, Ceramics, mineral pigments. // "Holding Earth" Installation View, Dried clay, ceramics, mineral pigments, plaster. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch
!["Tulips Never Die" Ceramics, mineral pigments. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f3c104daf9e6f2b7d93ecc0/8aee7c3d-d801-4094-bb12-051e20d4e2d4/Kazemzadeh_Nilou_04.jpg)
"Tulips Never Die" Ceramics, mineral pigments. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch
!["Tulips Never Die" (Side View) Ceramics, mineral pigments. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f3c104daf9e6f2b7d93ecc0/f644f836-5c33-4591-93a6-10d5a9c9a467/Kazemzadeh_Nilou_05.jpg)
"Tulips Never Die" (Side View) Ceramics, mineral pigments. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch
!["Tulips Never Die" (Detail)
Ceramics, mineral pigments. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f3c104daf9e6f2b7d93ecc0/d3bac8b9-47ad-4791-b0f8-09d99c136975/Kazemzadeh_Nilou_06.jpg)
"Tulips Never Die" (Detail) Ceramics, mineral pigments. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch
!["Sentimental Strata"
Glass, clay, rocks, ceramics. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f3c104daf9e6f2b7d93ecc0/eec3b81a-1300-4c03-99f9-7eaaca415a7e/Kazemzadeh_Nilou_07.jpg)
"Sentimental Strata" Glass, clay, rocks, ceramics. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch
!["Sentimental Strata" (Detail)
Glass, clay, rocks, ceramics. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f3c104daf9e6f2b7d93ecc0/f65d61d0-a994-4c3d-a2fd-569e2a784f1b/Kazemzadeh_Nilou_08.jpg)
"Sentimental Strata" (Detail) Glass, clay, rocks, ceramics. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch
!["Tulips Never Die Seedling"
Ceramics, mineral pigments. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f3c104daf9e6f2b7d93ecc0/30cf6c69-409e-44c9-8aaf-80a6ed150a2a/Kazemzadeh_Nilou_09.jpg)
"Tulips Never Die Seedling" Ceramics, mineral pigments. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch
!["Where To Begin"
Ceramics, plaster, paper, rocks.
Photo Credit: Sam Fritch](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f3c104daf9e6f2b7d93ecc0/d10255c7-795c-4ee7-8765-4835eae173ba/Kazemzadeh_Nilou_10.jpg)
"Where To Begin" Ceramics, plaster, paper, rocks. Photo Credit: Sam Fritch
!["Their Name is a Code"
Screen Printed image on glass, etched engraving, mirror, 2023. Photo Credit: Nilou Kazemzadeh](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f3c104daf9e6f2b7d93ecc0/e69806b2-7fa1-4709-84b3-6a323eafbe70/Kazemzadeh_Nilou_01.jpg)
"Their Name is a Code" Screen Printed image on glass, etched engraving, mirror, 2023. Photo Credit: Nilou Kazemzadeh
!["Their Name is a Code" (detail)
Screen Printed image on glass, etched engraving, mirror, 2023. Photo Credit: Nilou Kazemzadeh](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f3c104daf9e6f2b7d93ecc0/b1aa414b-4d5e-459b-a8af-d1f07097554c/Kazemzadeh_Nilou_02.jpg)
"Their Name is a Code" (detail) Screen Printed image on glass, etched engraving, mirror, 2023. Photo Credit: Nilou Kazemzadeh
!["Their Name is a Code" (Sideview)
Screen Printed image on glass, etched engraving, mirror, 2023. Photo Credit: Nilou Kazemzadeh](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f3c104daf9e6f2b7d93ecc0/d84abbcb-7e95-4eab-9112-1ece81ff9e5c/Kazemzadeh_Nilou_03.jpg)
"Their Name is a Code" (Sideview) Screen Printed image on glass, etched engraving, mirror, 2023. Photo Credit: Nilou Kazemzadeh
!["Call My Name"
Riso Prints, Individual, 2023.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f3c104daf9e6f2b7d93ecc0/5006eb30-5c3a-4549-b9dd-a7d994c0a295/Kazemzadeh_Nilou_04.jpg)
"Call My Name" Riso Prints, Individual, 2023.
!["Call My Name" (Within case)
Riso Prints, Individual Print, 2023. Photo Credit: Nilou Kazemzadeh](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f3c104daf9e6f2b7d93ecc0/4cccc576-cdf4-434f-a87b-ff4f7cd57f9c/Kazemzadeh_Nilou_05.jpg)
"Call My Name" (Within case) Riso Prints, Individual Print, 2023. Photo Credit: Nilou Kazemzadeh
!["Call My Name" (Detail 01)
Riso Prints, Individual Print, 2023.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f3c104daf9e6f2b7d93ecc0/7683e07e-c1e5-4b2a-a13f-15ebe5452a53/Kazemzadeh_Nilou_06.jpg)
"Call My Name" (Detail 01) Riso Prints, Individual Print, 2023.
!["Call My Name" (Detail 02)
Riso Prints, Individual Print, 2023.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f3c104daf9e6f2b7d93ecc0/1d9d57a6-fa30-4433-8a38-44ca73829b9d/Kazemzadeh_Nilou_07.jpg)
"Call My Name" (Detail 02) Riso Prints, Individual Print, 2023.
!["Call My Name" (detail 03)
Riso Prints, Individual Print, 2023.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f3c104daf9e6f2b7d93ecc0/31f02e2d-0f13-4cb9-a0af-ea2523318c57/Kazemzadeh_Nilou_08.jpg)
"Call My Name" (detail 03) Riso Prints, Individual Print, 2023.
!["To Care Is To Plant A Seed"
Stained Glass, powder/ enamel screen printed imagery on glass, 2023. Photo Credit: Nilou Kazemzadeh](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f3c104daf9e6f2b7d93ecc0/3672d17a-8e7d-43f4-916b-83e4d8b86bc1/Kazemzadeh_Nilou_09.jpg)
"To Care Is To Plant A Seed" Stained Glass, powder/ enamel screen printed imagery on glass, 2023. Photo Credit: Nilou Kazemzadeh
!["To Care Is To Plant A Seed" (detail) Stained Glass, powder/ enamel screen printed imagery on glass, 2023. Photo Credit: Nilou Kazemzadeh](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f3c104daf9e6f2b7d93ecc0/7184d7a7-7c9d-464e-a4d6-2b52dcb8e511/Kazemzadeh_Nilou_10.png)
"To Care Is To Plant A Seed" (detail) Stained Glass, powder/ enamel screen printed imagery on glass, 2023. Photo Credit: Nilou Kazemzadeh
Nilou Kazemzadeh
Nilou Kazemzadeh (b. 1993) is an Iranian-American artist based in Maryland. She holds a B.A. in Studio Art and Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Maryland College Park and an MFA from Tyler School of Art and Architecture. Her work has been shown in various galleries in the greater DC area and Philadelphia including Katzen Art Center, Maryland Art Place, Target Gallery, and IA&A Hillyer. Her work has been reviewed and included in various publications, including the Washington Post and Baltimore City Paper.
-
Website: niloukazemzadeh.com
Instagram: @nilou_gole