Azadeh Mehryar
Ceramicist
Dartmouth, MA, USA
An inquiry into migration and identity
- Azadeh creates ceramic sculptures narrating migration, displacement and cultural identity
- She uses the tile, so central to Persian architectural ornamentation, as her leading form
- In her practice, firing is harnessed both as a technical process and a metaphor for transformation
Originally trained in software engineering, Azadeh Mehryar left a career in technology to pursue ceramics after discovering clay during her studies in fine arts. Her sculptural work is part of academic research into the fragmentation of identity as a consequence of immigration. Azadeh uses fragmented tile-like forms to explore the experience of cultural dislocation, reconstruction and multilayered identity. "I assemble the clay elements into structures while they are in their transitional greenware state, before firing. This way the ceramic process itself becomes an illustration of personal reconstruction," she explains. To her, the binomic construction of her pieces represents the two cultures she inhabits, her Persian roots and her contemporary life in Canada and the USA.
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INTERVIEW
I always thought I would paint, but in the very first class I took in clay, I had an instant spark. When I touched the clay and started working with it, I thought, ‘This is what I am going to continue with for the rest of my life!'
My research investigates how identity is transformed through migration. In simple terms, it shatters. Settling into a new culture involves gathering all those shattered pieces and putting them back together to create a new self.
The fragmentary nature of the tiles reminds me of my own personal experience of identity shattering when a person moves to another culture. Each of those tiles carries this cultural memory with it. Tiles are also a Persian cultural signifier.
When I go into the studio and start working with my hands, it feels like a moment of pause amidst all the stress. I put my phone away, listen to relaxing music, and keep focusing on my ceramics.
Azadeh Mehryar
Ceramicist
Dartmouth, MA, USA
ADDRESS
Address upon request, Dartmouth, MA, USA
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
PHONE
+1 5082642299
LANGUAGES
English, Persian
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