I was born in Virginia to activist parents fighting against the shah of Iran. My family migrated to Iran in the wake of the revolution. Growing up in post-1979 Tehran in the face of seismic geopolitical shifts, I experienced uprooting, disconnection, and ultimately separation from my father. In my art I am compelled to decode the ways in which these events have marked me, creating a personal lexicon of longing.
Forgetting and relearning both English and Persian multiple times has made language a fascinating reference in my work. Persian poetry, as well as biographical text investigating a landscape of longing, have provided a valuable context for examining language formally. These investigations include physically building words and letters with a multitude of materials such as wax, paper, wooden cubes, and concrete. In doing so, I use architecture, book arts, and installation to distort and blur the lines between design, craft, and fine art