Displacement \ Lived and Imagined
Reflections on borders, the body's whisper and a dream studio in New York City
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Studio #213
On April 1st, I arrived in Brooklyn, New York, for a three-month stay. We are living through uncertain and brutal times, and this temporary move has moved me on different levels. I was in a mental state of paranoia and the [random] feeling that any person of colour from the “Middle East”1 experiences these days when crossing specific borders. Things went easier than I was prepared for. Yet, immediately after arrival, my body crashed and demanded the care and calm that it was deprived of for hours.
I was once again reminded of a highlight of my current research project, titled In Dialogue with the Displaced: Artists, Images, and Bodies. I am now a Curator in Residence2 at the International Studio and Curatorial Program (ISCP), known as “New York’s most comprehensive international visual arts residency program”. Having witnessed the way the offerings and the creative space, I am not surprised by the claim above!
I represent Iran and Canada, the two countries I belong to -paradoxically- due to the complex relations of power and forces of displacement.
I am grateful for a treasured community of friends, colleagues and mentors who have so far supported the progress and realization of this residency: Dr. Betsy Boone, Ross Bradley, Freyja T. Catton, Shiva Farrokhi, Dr. Rouzbeh Ghahreman, Dr. Steven Harris, Narges Jamali, Reed Larsen, Dr. Raika Khorshidian, Omar Mouallem, Mona Sahi, Mohammadhossein Sharifi, Darren Kooyman, Kamyar Pooyeh, Alma Visscher, Bayaz School, Bleeding Heart Art Space, Iranian Heritage Society of Edmonton and many more.
An Invitation یک دعوت
یک هفته باقیمانده تا روز ۲۵ آوریل که در کارگاه من و ۲۵ هنرمند و نمایشگاهگردان دیگر برای ساعاتی به روی عموم باز شود. جمعه غروب یا روز شنبهی آینده به ما در بروکلین سر بزنید
In a week, we will be hosting an Open Studios event at the ISCP. This is a public and free event.
All are invited! Learn more here.
Highlights of all visits
I have an appreciation for artists whose work is rediscovered long after they have passed away. Nancy Elizabeth Prophet (1890-1960) is one of them, whom I recently got to know. At the Brooklyn Museum, her work is arranged just outside Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party.
At the ISCP, we have field trips and also other opportunities to visit institutions, some of which are shaping my research. Apart from well-known museums, I found the Asia Art Archive in America to be a non-canonical, manageable resource. The New York Public Library’s Picture Collection was also a special place, especially in times when visual culture is becoming increasingly disposable with the widespread use of screens and artificial intelligence.
"Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be."
Walter Benjamin, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. 1935
Engage with Harcourt House
Away from home, I often think of Harcourt House Artist Run Centre, where my Edmonton studio is located. Many who know me are aware that we have been engaged in a long fight to secure our creative home, a goal that has now been achieved thanks to the power of community!
Before leaving Edmonton for my current New York residency, I felt that I finally needed to have proper photos with Harcourt House’s monument concrete signs. As a recurring ceremonial outfit, I wore my special denim jacket, which my father had worn while training as a pilot in the United States in the 1970s.
One of my intentions for publishing this e-newsletter is to share arts opportunities with others, particularly from creative spaces that align with my values. Do not miss Harcourt House’s current open calls for exhibition and residency: https://harcourthouse.ab.ca/gallery/call-for-submissions/
Dear Founding Patrons and Paid Subscribers,
I love to give back!
As promised, I intend to create a portrait of YOUR chosen subject in the form of a digital illustration or a sketch on paper. The artwork can be emailed or shipped globally. I will reach out to you directly to coordinate. However, please feel free to message me if you would like to initiate.
The expression “Middle East“ is becoming more and more strange in my view. Read this if you wonder why.
This ISCP residency is sponsored with the generous support of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and my collaborator and patron, Behdad Esfahbod.
So glad it went smoothly! Have an amazing time, your work is so important 💖