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This piece explores the personal narratives of four individuals who have been impacted by the sanctions imposed on Iran. Their words are echoed by drops of water, as the symbolic “bowl of patience” fills (“kaseye sabr labriz mishavad”), gradually becoming distorted by the resulting ripples of disturbance.  Voices unheard by the global community are overlaid with the silent, confrontational gaze of their speakers, whose backgrounds vary over a range of social classes affected.

As the sequence escalates, the portraits distort themselves to the point of abstraction – reflecting how the conversation around sanctions loses its clarity as the global focus moves to abstract political aims as opposed to the reality of human rights.  The original clarity around the issue becomes blurred; yet the voices persist.

exhibition view