Much of my work explores the systems of repression that I endured as a child and adult in both the private and public spheres, the home, the school, the street, and the square, at the hands of the state, the police, teachers, and various other actors and institutions. These formative experiences exert a primary influence in terms of the subject matter of my art. In turn, my work explores the enduring and evolving nature of experience and memory. My main concern, both practical and theoretical, is the nature and function of memory, how it is constructed and reconstructed, which is to underscore its contingent and persistent character.
Many of my formative experiences and memories in Iran are tied to United States military and foreign policy. Persistent fears of military strikes, economic sanctions, psychological warfare, and the use of so-called soft power have marked Iranian society for decades. Meanwhile, American mainstream media reports typically offer a narrow portrayal of Iranian politics and socioeconomics while the cultural diversity of the country is largely ignored. I explore these and other issues within motifs and language that are inspired by Iran’s prodigious art and cultural streams: textiles, ceramics, architecture, and literature. My practice comprises a wide array of mediums including installation, video, performance, research, documentation, and drawing. I am committed to an interdisciplinary approach, both in research and production.
