“The Mind in Exile” is based on my experience of living in different country, a residency in New York State. The differences between people who live in the same time in different parts of the world are astonishing to me. People in my country are used to living with restrictions which are set by themselves not by the government. The restrictions strip them of their individuality. By using mirror in the piece, I explore notions of individuality and the self. Geometric mirrored mosaics in traditional Islamic architecture are special and are used in sacred places like graves of Imams as well as used frequently in funerals. In this piece, I investigate the relationship/tension that occurs between the loss of Iranian individuality, reflections of self, and death.
text by Mona Aghababaee
