A wide shot of a ceramics studio, featuring students working with pottery wheels and other tools.

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Laleh Motlagh

Lecturer

Contact

Professional Site

Bio

As an Iranian Azerbaijanis-American woman, Laleh Motlagh delves into profound explorations of love, intimacy, spirituality, trust, and resilience while remaining present to her own localities. Based in Chicago, Motlagh challenges socio-cultural alienation and navigates the complexities of multicultural identity. Often collaborative with nonhumans, she employs drawing, painting, performance, video, and installation to question the boundaries between human and natural life, the admissible and the taboo, as well as the geopolitical overtones found so prevalently in the discourse of border zones and notions of belonging.

Laleh Motlagh لاله مطلق (b. Tabriz, Iran) is a Chicago-based artist and educator. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions at institutions such as Museo Universitario del Chopo (Mexico City, Mexico), EXPO (Chicago, USA), Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (Chicago, USA), Chicago Artist Coalition (Chicago, USA), KHB Studios (Berlin, Germany), NAHR (Sotechiesta, Italy), Teufelsberg (Berlin, Germany), Gallery 400 (Chicago, USA), Sarv Gallery (Tehran, Iran), Farhang Gallery (Tabriz, Iran) among others. She has received multiple awards and recognitions including Individual Artists Program grant from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, Newcity’s Breakout Artist, U.S. Fulbright Independent Artist Research grant, Provost’s Award for Graduate Research, and more. Motlagh received her MFA from the University of Illinois Chicago.

Courses

Title Department Catalog Term

Description

This course is a rigorous exploration of contemporary sculptural practices, emphasizing critical relationships between form, material, and content. Students use research, instructor feedback, and peer support to realize their unique visions in three dimensions. Discussions of materials, processes, and hands-on practice empower students to move from concept to completed work, generating a better understanding of how sculpture is situated within the context of culture and society at large. Projects allow for investigating traditional and contemporary materials and methods, including installation, carving, casting, fabrication, mold making, and construction. Demonstrations of SAIC's digital tools, field trips to the Art Institute of Chicago, and artist presentations supplement the studio experience. Artwork and/or performances that are temporary or cannot be easily transported will be documented through photography and/or video.

NOTE: Previous experience in sculpture is helpful, but not required. SAIC will provide basic equipment. Students are encouraged to bring a digital camera, tablet, and/or laptop for homework and after-studio hours projects.

Class Number

1136

Credits

2

Description

This course explores contemporary thinking and making within architecture and its impact on public life. Students will develop skills in hand drawing, digital modeling, and physical modeling in 3D. Through collaborative work and one-on-one mentorship, students learn how architects develop design ideas, conduct research, and present proposals. Conceptual thinking is emphasized as students work to envision new approaches to the built environment through multiple design approaches. An active studio practice will feature drawing and hand-built models of proposed spaces, buildings, sculptures, and/or future environments. In addition, students examine the works of artists, architects, and writers for inspiration. Students can expect to gain knowledge of the contemporary architectural landscape and the appreciation of the impact other disciplines have on architecture and design. Students will create a portfolio-quality collection of sketches, technical drawings, physical models, and design presentation boards.

Class Number

1007

Credits

2

Description

This studio course focuses on themes, practices, contexts, and questions undertaken by contemporary artists and designers. Research Studio I is a course that asks students to begin to develop and connect their own work and ideas with a diverse range of artists, designers, and communities. This course engages with cultural institutions including: museums, galleries, libraries and archives as resources of critical engagement.

Students will undertake various types of research activities: a) collecting and classification, b) mapping and diagramming, c) systems of measurement, d) social interaction, e) information search systems, f) recording and representation, and g) drawing and other notational systems.


Assignments in this course are faculty directed, open-media, interdisciplinary and idea based. The projects are designed to help students recognize their work habits, biases, strengths, and weaknesses. Students will experience a wide range of research methods and making strategies. Critique as an evaluative process used in art and design schools, is a focus in this course. Various methods and models of critique are used in order to give students the tools to discuss their own work and the work of others.

Class Number

1421

Credits

3

Description

This course familiarizes students with concepts and characteristics of interiority in architecture, with a focus on the physical, experiential, and cultural condition of interiority as a site for creative practice. Through design research projects undertaken in a studio context, students explore how interiority relates to contemporary issues such as health, privacy, and surveilance; and both the physiology and psychology of how we relate to interior spaces via our bodies and our senses. Class work includes lectures, readings, and group presentations and discussions.

Class Number

1027

Credits

3