Soundwave ((8)) Biennial 

In Between

At The Growlery, San Francisco, CA

October 12-Novermber 12

Artists: Cyrus Toshi Tabar, Sholeh Asgary, Curated by Shaghayegh Cyrous

For the Soundwave Biennial, I propose to invite Iranian-Japanese-American filmmaker Cyrus Yoshi Tabar and Iranian-American light installation artist Sholeh Asgary to create a joint video and sound installation, which will explore this desire for answers, communication, and connection. The installation will approach the theme of Infrastructure in considering the role of family histories and relationships in the construction of an individual’s identity, and what happens when these histories and relationships are absent. Both Tabar and Asgary address their experiences as first and second-generation Iranian Americans in their practice. Tabar’s recent film, It is What it Is, investigates his father’s adamant break with the past and refusal to talk about his decision to move to the US. Asgary’s current project draws on video and sound recordings that she made during her first visit to Iran in 2007, as she attempts to piece together the puzzle of her family’s history that her mother has remained silent on.

Tabar and Asgary are part of a hidden generation whose quest for their own histories and stories are marginalized not just within society at large, but within their immediate communities. By giving them a platform for their work at the Soundwave Biennial, I hope to support them in bringing these hidden narratives to light. Both artists have amassed archives that I want to urge them to go deeper into for this project. The process will be research-driven, with all three of us working together to determine the final shape of the project. I believe that Tabar and Asgary will each bring distinct perspectives to the desires and challenges that they have in common; they also complement each other in terms of their expertise in live sound and music. Through their collaboration, I envision the creation of a space that enacts the traversing of temporal and spatial distances that diasporans must undertake to forge connections with family members, and to come to terms with their own identities and desire for home. 

My work investigates the experience of cross-cultural communication and translation, addressing predicaments of estrangement and distance arising from social, political, and cultural power struggles. Having moved to the US due to political tensions in my home country, Iran, I am especially interested in how exiles and immigrants navigate such predicaments. In the past year, as I worked with Iranian and American artists, and witnessed how they found ways to move forward in their lives despite challenging political circumstances, I began thinking in particular about second-generation Iranian Americans—those whose parents had moved to the US, and who grew up detached from their cultural and familial roots. Individuals from this generation often grapple with situating their identity in both the past and the present, as their families enforce a certain silence around their political and personal histories for a variety of reasons. I am interested in the work of artists from this generation who search for answers within this silence.