Nicky Nodjoumi: The Personal is Political & Nahid Hagigat: Etched in Time
October 6–March 23, 2025
Group Exhibition
Curated by Amy Kisch.
Image: Nicky Nodjoumi. Internal Inspection, 2014. YBCA, San Francisco.
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA)
701 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
+1-415-978-2787
YBCA Website
YBCA Instagram
YBCA Hours
| Monday | Closed |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | Closed |
| Wednesday | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Thursday | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Friday | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Saturday | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Sunday | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
Overview
Please go watch A Revolution on Canvas (currently streaming on HBO/Max, Kanopy {*FREE w/library card}, Hulu, Amazon), a film about Iranian artists Nahid Hagigat and Nicky Nodjoumi, directed by husband-and-wife filmmakers Sara Nodjoumi and Till Schauder.
THEN go see YBCA’s FANTASTIC exhibitions—Nicky Nodjoumi: The Personal is Political and Nahid Hagigat: Etched in Time—curated by Amy Kisch, which are the focus of today’s LOVE LETTER TO ART.
The documentary and exhibitions tell the story of an Iranian-American family of artists in Brooklyn and the implications—missing paintings in an Iranian museum, endangered associates—faced in the wake of making political art.
A Revolution on Canvas Trailer
“Distinct solo exhibitions with a shared history, together, Nicky Nodjoumi: The Personal is Political and Nahid Hagigat: Etched in Time, share the stories of a family of artists and an unwavering commitment to creative expression in the face of personal and geopolitical challenges.
Nodjoumi’s surreal and kaleidoscopic paintings investigate the trappings of political power, while Hagigat’s evocative and intimate etchings describe women and their ongoing struggle for freedom.
Two formidable personalities and their respective creative practices are both intertwined and separated by family and history.
Responding to themes in the accompanying HBO documentary A Revolution on Canvas by the artists’ daughter, Sara Nodjoumi, and her partner Till Schauder, we learn of the international controversy involving 120 missing artworks and the fateful exhibition that irreversibly changed the family’s life.”
Preview of Nicky Nodjoumi: The Personal is Political and Nahid Hagigat: Etched in Time. YBCA, San Francisco.
You can’t just let it go. You can read what happened in the Revolution through those paintings. Historically those are really important. They not be the greatest painting of all time, but there is a record of that time. And it’s a real record. I want that. I want to somehow get it out, bring it here.
—Nicky Nodjoumi
Nickzad was always a revolutionary inside, nothing in this world could have make him calm.
— Nahid Hagigat
At a time when xenophobia and authoritarianism shape policies targeting Iranian artists, immigrants, and Muslim-majority countries, Nahid Hagigat and Nicky Nodjoumi’s work remains more vital than ever. Their art is a reminder that political resistance is a costly act of rebellion—but one that ignites hope, and hope is the force that drives all revolutions forward.
A Revolution on Canvas Panel Discussion with Till Schauder, Nahid Hagigat, Sara Nodjoumi, Nicky Nodjoumi, Nika Nodjoumi, Luca Nodjoumi, Amy Kisch. YBCA, San Francisco.
And seeing generational healing being worked out through this film is incredibly endearing—I think many of us at that middle-age stage in life will relate.
DO NOT MISS THESE POWERFUL AND DEEPLY PERSONAL EXHIBITIONS, CLOSING THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 23, 2025!
🗓 Nicky Nodjoumi: The Personal is Political & Nahid Hagigat: Etched in Time run until March 23 at YBCA in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood. It runs alongside The Only Door I Can Open: Women Exposing Prison through Art, which closes June 22, 2025 (post to follow soon).
💌 Did you see the show(s) or try any of our recommendations? What did you think? Let us know in the comments (in the Reviews section located on the second tab at the top of the page).
⭐ EXHIBITIONS:
- ON VIEW: YBCA [Nicky Nodjoumi & Nahid Hagigat are EXTRAORDINARY SHOWS feat. the Iranian American artists.] (Closes March 23, 2025)
- ON VIEW: The Only Door I Can Open: Women Exposing Prison through Art. [*Post to follow soon.] (Closes June 22, 2025)
QUICK GUIDE: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA)
⭐ HOURS: Open Wednesday–Sunday 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Closed Monday–Wednesday.
⭐ ADMISSION: General Admission Tickets Adults $10; Seniors 65+, Students, Educator $5; Accessibility caregiver and 17 & Under FREE. Membership starts at $165.
- FREE WEDNESDAYS & 2ND SUNDAYS
- Museums for All (show your EBT or Medi-Cal card/ID)
- FREE Admission for Military Personnel
- FREE Admission for Museum employees + 1 guest w/current valid staff ID
- Free Art Workshop: Watercolor Dreamscape on March 26, 2025, 2:00–4:00 p.m. (Create a dreamscape watercolor painting inspired by Cedar Annenkovna’s mural Flight to Freedom featured in The Only Door I Can Open: Women Exposing Prison through Art.)
- Free Art Workshop: Floral Clay Sculpture on April 2, 2025, 2:00–4:00 p.m (Create clay floral sculptures inspired by flowers at Yerba Buena Gardens and the Annual Flores de Mayo Celebration hosted by SOMA Pilipinas.)
- Free Art Workshop: Felt Bouquet on April 9, 2025, 2:00–4:00 p.m (Create a felt bouquet of flowers inspired by the Annual Flores de Mayo Celebration hosted by SOMA Pilipinas.)
- PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE ($30-100): Dance Downtown ODC/DANCE Performance on April 10-13 (Blue Shield Theater)
- Free Art Workshop: Cherry Blossom Origami on April 16, 2025, 2:00–4:00 p.m (Learn to make floral origami inspired by Northern California’s Cherry Blossom Festival and the Annual Flores de Mayo Celebration hosted by SOMA Pilipinas.
- Free Art Workshop: Flower Landscape Collage on April 23, 2025, 2:00–4:00 p.m (Learn to make a flower landscape collage inspired by the Annual Flores de Mayo Celebration hosted by SOMA Pilipinas.
⭐NEARBY ART:
- MUSEUMS: SFMOMA (2 min walk): ON VIEW: Unity through Skateboarding (Closes May 4, 2025); 2024 SECA Art Award Exhibition (Closes May 26, 2025); Ragnar Kjartansson: The Visitors (Closes Sept 28, 2025); Yayoi Kusama: Dreaming of Earth’s Sphericity, I Would Offer My Love (Closes Fall 2025); FREE Kara Walker’s Fortuna and the Immortality Garden (Machine) [*Post to follow soon.] (Closes Spring 2026) UPCOMING: Ruth Asawa Retrospective (April 5–Sept 2, 2025); Kunié Sugiura: Photopainting (April 26-Sept 14, 2025)
- MUSEUMS: MoAD (2 min walk) UPCOMING: TBD.
- GALLERIES: Berggruen Gallery ON VIEW: [Historical Bay Area Painters from March 6–April 24, 2025] (4 min walk)
- PUBLIC ART: Revelation, the Martin King Jr. memorial fountain and several others at Yerba Buena Gardens [see LINK for Yerba Buena Gardens self-guided art tour] (1 min walk)
⭐ NEARBY DINING:
- Tropisueño – Counter-order Mexican (2 min walk)
- Delarosa – Pizza and pasta BOOK DELAROSA ON OPEN TABLE HERE (2 min walk)
- Amber India – Upscale Indian food w/ *Mon–Fri LUNCH SPECIALS starting at $18 & $32 Lunch Buffet! BOOK AMBER INDIA ON OPEN TABLE HERE (3 min walk)
- Metreon Food Hall – Budget-friendly assortment of food vendors i.e. burgers, salads, poke bowls, wraps, ramen (3 min walk)
- *Grace at SFMOMA (street level) – Is open to the public, MUSEUM ADMISSION NOT REQUIRED. **Check out Grace’s FABULOUS HAPPY HOUR Thurs–Mon 3:00–5:00 p.m. (3 min walk)
- The Harlequin – Cocktail bar w/ Brooklyn vibes serving lunch and dinner Wed–Sun (4 min walk)
A LOVE LETTER TO ART’S CASUAL DINING PICKS
- Oren’s Hummus – Delicious Israeli food in a casual friendly setting. *Check out their AMAZING HAPPY HOUR Mon–Thurs 3:00–5:00 p.m. (3 min walk)
- Fang – Cantonese cuisine from the Fang family of House of Nanking. As seen on Chef Dynasty: House of Fang (oh, I like that Peter Fang!), chefs Kathy and Peter Fang blend tradition with charm. (4 min walk) Book Fang on Open Table HERE.
💖 A LOVE LETTER TO ART’S ROMANTIC DINING PICKS
- Yokai – Hi-Fi cocktail lounge. Decadent lunch vibes, beautifully crafted drinks, and OMG—THAT CAVIAR POTATO!! SO. GOOD. (8 min walk/2 min drive) Book Yokai on Open Table HERE.
A LOVE LETTER TO ART’S EXHIBITION-INSPIRED PICKS
- Komaaj Mazze Wine Bar – Komaaj Iranian/Persian restaurant in Mission?Bernal Heights catered the exhibition opening/film screening and everything was beautiful and delicious. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. (15 min drive) Book Komaaj Mazze Wine Bar on Open Table HERE.
A LOVE LETTER TO ART RECOMMENDS
More nearby suggestions are always welcome. Feel free to add in the comments!
SEE MORE ART AT YERBA BUENA GARDENS
🦋 FREE: There also are quite a few public artworks on display at Yerba Buena Gardens (750 Howard Street | map | 2 min walk), including the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial fountain, Revelation, a powerful work by sculptor Houston Conwill, poet Estella Conwill Majoza (great interview with her in the link), and architect Joseph DePace. The Yerba Buena Gardens public arts program has created a FREE self-guided tour that is downloadable to your phone, which is linked below.
DINING AT YERBA BUENA GARDENS
🌳TIP: I really enjoy just chilling out and having a bite to eat in Yerba Buena Gardens, where you can either sit on the benches, grass, or on the Metreon’s Dining Terrace (tables and chairs available seasonally). *For kids, I would recommend grabbing takeout from one of inexpensive restaurants in the Metreon (the steps from Yerba Buena Gardens lead right into the food court). The park hosts FREE LIVE MUSIC AND PERFORMANCES on many weekends of the year, which is really FANTASTIC in the spring and summer. Such great vibes!!
ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS AT YERBA BUENA GARDENS
Activities for kids at Yerba Buena Gardens include: Yerba Buena Gardens, Yerba Buena Gardens Children’s Creativity Museum and the LeRoy King Carousel, the Yerba Buena Children’s Garden playground, and the Yerba Buena Ice Skating and Bowling Center.
NEARYBY ART
NEARBY DINING
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Iran’s Faces of Anger by Shorresh Afkari and Virginie Plaut
Decadence and Downfall: The Shah of Iran’s Ultimate Party, 2016 by Hassan Amini
Author: ALoveLettertoArt
