Mana Mehrabian

Layered view, 1, 2026

Laser-cut handmade paper from recycled shipping boxes, matte acrylic sheet, reeded acrylic sheet, pine board

12.7 x 18.9 x 2.2 in

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"Layered View" draws inspiration from windows, as architectural elements and as references to frames of images and screens. It borrows from found photographs of windows from several Iranian historical architectural sites that include Orosi windows. In these hand-crafted window structures, small pieces of colored glass set within wooden frames filter sunlight into patterns of color. In this project, these patterns are partially and imprecisely traced, laser-cut into handmade paper from recycled shipping boxes, and transformed into white matte acrylic in contrast to their original colorful materiality. They are then covered with reeded acrylic sheets and framed in unfinished wood, with architectural forms guiding their structures.

These works embrace materials and process as references, creating a space for reflection on the complexities of the present, while forming an ode to homes shaped by mementos and memories carried across borders.

About the artist

Mana Mehrabian

Mana Mehrabian is an interdisciplinary artist born and raised in Tehran, Iran, and currently based in eastern Washington State. Her work explores themes of perception, identity, home, memory, and the body through the lens of the immigrant experience. She examines how images mediate these themes, offering viewers a space to contextualize the work within the larger backdrop of today’s social and political realities.

Mehrabian works across various media, centering on photography, video, sculpture, and installation. Her work has been exhibited at the Vestibule (Seattle, WA), Paragon Arts Gallery (Portland, OR), and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art WSU (Pullman, WA), among other venues. She is a recipient of the 2025 Artist Trust Fellowship and the 2022 Artist Trust Grants for Artists’ Progress (GAP). She received her MFA from Washington State University, where she currently works as an instructor.