The works of Elnaz Javani and Azadeh Gholizadeh narrate the experiences of diasporic identity in relation to body and space. The show’s premise lies in the inherent qualities of the materials used by both artists. The works included in this show explores how picture‐making within a craft structure can create a place and sense of belonging through storytelling. Elnaz Javani’s practice links and juxtaposes her experience with fictional narratives. These narratives lie in the intersections of identity, gender, labor, and power relations. Through material manipulations, Javani creates objects and surfaces that constitute the purview of the corporeal and psychological stratum of the human body. Azadeh Gholizadeh explores the body, landscape, and fragmentation of memory to navigate the idea of home. Interested in the relationship between landscape and memory, Azadeh uses weaving and needle pointing to explore her emotional connection to belonging, a journey toward home.
Both artists investigate the material and the possibilities of hand processes such as stitching, weaving, dye, and fiber. Through these repetitive and labor‐intensive practices, they examine how attention and power can be redirected and reconstituted as a form of body and devotion. The objects, dialogues shaped in these processes create a visual place to take refuge.