One Thing Is Certain And The Rest Is Lies – by BFA graduate Moozhan Ahmadzadegan
One thing is certain and the rest is lies is a continued exploration on navigating queer culture as a person connected to the Iranian diaspora in so-called Canada. Using common formal visual elements of Persian miniatures such as intricate patterns, flat 2D compositions, and architectural elements as a reference point, I aim to bring these illustrations into a physical space through interdisciplinary practice. My intentions are to disrupt these traditional forms to establish an intimate space as a means of queering these spaces.
By queering spaces through imagery derived from traditional Persian miniatures, I critique the ongoing struggle for freedom in Iran. These historical artifacts often told poetic stories of royalty, love, and allegory through a gaze where it uplifted the powerful people who commissioned these works or the guilds that controlled the practice. This interests me as it resembles the historic and current exclusion of queer narratives across many areas around the world. Specifically, I relate this to the ways queer people are invalidated, erased, and willfully disregarded by the current government of Iran, the contemporary location from where much of this historic practice derives. By transforming the metaphorical architectural constructs that surround us, I assert queerness to counter dominant structures that seek to invalidate and erase queer narratives and consider the ongoing displacement of queer Iranians and other marginalized groups.
https://www.artscouncilofthecentralokanagan.com/onethingiscertain
Follow