Parallel Routes: Ghazel & Mamadollah's stories

About the exhibition

This exhibition unveils a 5 year-long collaboration between the acclaimed artist, Ghazel (external link) , and Afghan craftsman, Mamadollah. Initiated in 2018 in a Ceramic factory in Tehran, their joint endeavor is grounded in their shared experience of exile, transit, and precarious status in their host countries. At the heart of the exhibit lies an array of creations birthed from this alliance: painted ceramic plates, video installations, and more.

Mamadollah's Ceramic Narratives

The exhibition features a series of exquisitely hand-painted plates by Mamadollah, where he expresses the strife of being undocumented in Iran. His repeated expulsions between Afghanistan and Iran come alive through his artwork. They are accompanied by his written testimonies providing deeper insights into his tales of transit, exile, and vulnerability. Supplementing the plates are reproductions of Mamadollah's sketches that shed light on his daily life in Afghanistan.

Ghazel’s Road Movie series

In 2010, Ghazel commenced the "Road Movie" series, inspired by transient migrants she encountered. This collection stories of "invisible" people and their unwritten stories/histories resonate with our contemporary times.

This exhibit will display two cinematic pieces from 2018 and 2019, both inspired by Mamadollah's experiences. "Road Movie 17" chronicles the numerous times Mamadollah was cast out of Iran, while "Road Movie 19" recounts his purposeful return to Afghanistan in 2018.

Ghazel’s Wanted (Urgent) posters

Ghazel's oeuvre frequently delves into themes of the Other, displacement, identity, and war's aftermath. Her work draws from her personal experiences, having traversed multiple identities and being perpetually in transit since her departure from war-torn Iran in 1986.

The genesis of her "Wanted (Urgent)" series can be traced back to 1997, when a rejection letter for a residency permit from the French Police threatened her established life in France. Her sudden brush with becoming "documentless" led her to craft these poignant posters, satirical advertisements seeking partners for convenience marriages to secure a passport. After acquiring a 10-year residency, Ghazel's narrative took a twist, with her extending such a proposal to an undocumented man. A curated collection of these impactful posters will also grace the exhibit.

About Ghazel

Ghazel was born in 1966 in Tehran and has been in transit between the Middle East and Europe since 1986. She received her B.F.A. and M.F.A. from L'Ecole Supérieure des Beaux Arts in Nîmes (France) and a B.A. in Film Studies from Paul Valéry University in Montpellier (France).

She has exhibited her work extensively around the world since 2000 including international biennials such as: the 50th Venice Biennial (2003), the 8th Havana Biennial (2003), the 3rd Tirana Biennial (2005), the 15th Biennale of Sydney (2006), the 7th Sharjah Biennial (2005), the XIV Woman Biennial in Ferrara (2010) and the 13th Havana Biennial (2019). Her Wanted (Urgent) posters were shown from 2009 till 2019 in the permanent exhibition of the Musée nationale d'histoire d'immigration. The Pompidou Center was the first museum interested in Ghazel's work and bought Me 1997-2000 in 2002.

In 2018 the Ministry of Culture of France made her a Chevalier of the Order of the Arts and Letters.