Tempo Memoria Group Exhibition in Italy

Group shot 

Turin

I was thrilled when Sergio Gomez asked me to be part of this amazing group exhibition. I have shown my work internationally before in London Biennale but this was a different experience. We were going to exhibit in a Museum in Turin-Itlay. I was debating if I should go on the trip or not...after all traveling to Italy is not really cheap. But then again I thought how many times I would get this chance to go and meet up with other artist friends of mine, maybe meet up with old friends who might be traveling in Europe in summer and of course experience the exhibition in person. So here I went to the amazing city of Turin. As soon as I got to see downtown and where the museum was located, I was blown away. This charming city has a lot of character, lot of energy, I was simply blown away.

The next day we all were there for the opening. What a night this was. It was truly an amazing experience. The next few days went by so fast with visiting the landmarks and museums and even a one day trip to Milan. As an artist, I truly believe traveling is always necessary as it will open new doors, gives you inspirations and ideas and also connects you to so many amazing people...

Below photos were taken by the amazing Sergio Gomez who curated this exhibit, who showed us how to dare to dream again...

The Museum MIIT

Each artist had two pieces in this exhibit. As for me below pieces were shown. It actually made it to the local newspaper in Turin as well!

Met a friend from Dubai after 4 years

Photo by ACS Magazine

During the opening night, each artist talked a bit about their work and how it is linked to the theme of the exhibit "Time & Memory" - We all had a blast.

Opening Reception 

The whole experience was just amazing, being able to showcase my art outside Iran and U.S and in Europe was so heart warming. The exhibit runs till August 20th 2016 so in case you find yourself in the beautiful charming city of Turin, make sure to pay a visit to this lovely museum and see our works.

Whispering Walls revealed...

This past Sunday - June 14th 2015 - we celebrated the new location of Evanston Art Center with some amazing art. The first show in the new location called "Hybrid's Paradise" curated by Sergio Gomez will be open to public for visit till August 9th 2015. I was honored to be selected as one of the artists for this amazing event so I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a bit about Whispering Walls.

Sarvin Haghighi

Whispering Walls 2015

Installation of mixed media including glass blocks, ink, paper, and oil paint.

 CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PIECE IN THIS SHORT VIDEO

Artist Statement

Building off the notion of walls, and how they serve to protect and safeguard, I conceived this installation as a way to represent the fused reality of my hybrid existence. The piece is meant to link together the equally rich, but often diametrically opposed cultures of the Eastern and Western worlds.

I choose glass blocks for the exterior of this piece, as they are commonplace here in Chicago – my new home since moving here from Dubai in 2012. They speak to the architectural significance and wonder of this great city. And they present a nice, polished façade – much like many of us try to do in daily life. Yet their transparency allows the viewer to get a suggestive glimpse at what lies beneath.

While the overall color palette speaks to American patriotism, and my new home - what’s imbedded between the exterior panels is what speaks to my core. As a child, my parents would read to me the poetry of Rumi, which to this day remains a large part of my soul. I like to think his words whisper through these foreign walls to the viewer – conveying a universal and timeless message.

Special thanks to:-

• Sergio Gomez for having this piece on the exhibit and for the video
• David Mugra for writing this amazing artist statement on this piece
• Mohsen Kamza for adding music to the video
• Song title - Elements by Lindsey Stirling

Nowruz Pirooz!

As we approach Persian New year I thought it would be good to share some details about Nowruz for those who might not be familiar with it.

Nowruz (pronounced no-rooz) is a combination of two Persian words. The first word “now” means new and the second word “ruz” means day; together they mean “New Day.” Nowruz is the name for the celebrations that observe the New Year for many Persian and Central Asian communities. The exact beginning of the New Year occurs when the season changes from winter to spring on the vernal equinox, which usually happens on 20 or 21 March each year. The spelling of Nowruz in English can take many forms, including: Noroz, Norouz, Nowruz and Norooz. For this resource we have used the spelling Nowruz.

It is a secular holiday that is enjoyed by people of several different faiths and as such can take on additional interpretations through the lens of religion. Nowruz is partly rooted in the religious tradition of Zoroastrianism and became a popular celebration among the communities that grew from the Persian influenced cultural areas. While the physical region called Persia no longer exists, the traditions of Nowruz are strong among people in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Canada and the United States.

The most important activity in the celebration of Nowruz is making the haft-seen table. Haft is the Persian word for the number seven and seen is the Persian word for the letter S. Literally, the haft-seen table means a “table of seven things that start with the letter S’. Creating the haft-seen table is a family activity that begins by spreading a special family cloth on the table. Next the table is set with the seven S items. Here are some of the items and what they symbolize:

Sumac (crushed spice of berries): For the sunrise and the spice of life Senjed (sweet dry fruit of the lotus tree): For love and affection Serkeh (vinegar): For patience and age Seeb (apples): For health and beauty

Sir (garlic): For good health Samanu (wheat pudding): For fertility and the sweetness of life Sabzeh (sprouted wheat grass): For rebirth and renewal of nature

In addition to these S items, there are other symbolic items that go on the haft-seen table, depending on the tradition of each family. It is customary to place a mirror on the table to symbolize reflection on the past year, an orange in a bowl of water to symbolize the Earth, a bowl of real goldfish to symbolize new life, colored eggs to represent fertility, coins for prosperity in the New Year, special flowers called hyacinths to symbolize spring and candles to radiate light and happiness. Each family places other items on the table that are special for example, family photos of those who might not be present at the table once the the Qur’an- the holy book of Islam - or the Shahnameh, an epic Persian story of colorful kings and princes written around the year 1000 CE or book of poetry by the famous poet Shams ud-Din Hafez. Hafez who lived in Persian lands during the 14th Century CE.

As we are currently in Dubai due to the MOP Foundation Auction on my piece which will be on March 21st, I will have to share with you the image of our version of haft sin at a later stage.

Last but not least, here is a great song perfumed by Ali Azimi welcoming Nowruz.

Nowruz Pirooz !

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1--jgwyT4Dw[/embed]