"Analogous yet distinct spheres of knowledge inform Aurian Carter's zines, paintings, and drawings, which all stem from an ongoing sketchbook practice that plays with notions of identity and influence. Through cartoons and witticism, the artist takes as her starting point renderings of her Iranian-American family as well as ancient monuments and reliefs painted primarily in black ink that make reference to Persian calligraphy. Carter addresses the magnitude of these histories with humor. In one drawing, she transforms a sketch of an Assyrian bust into a self-portrait, a diaristic and decisive gesture that asserts her own relationship to the artifact--housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Additionally, over the past few months, the artist has produced a series of zines that contain sketches of professors and celebrities alike. These self-printed booklets--rooted in punk and DIY cultures--further challenge traditionally monolithic forms of institutional authority, like those upheld by museums and universities." - thesis description