Pilsen's Show PODs interactive installations are inviting you to be part of it

Along Halsted and 18th in Chicago, there is a Persian vibe these days. The first opening night of WhisperingWalls installations was a success. Parts of the installations are interactive inviting its viewers to be part of it. The installation will be on view till November.

Being in a city like Chicago with a lot of diversity makes it even more interesting for a middle eastern artist like myself to try and share a message, show a part of culture usually people are not familiar with. This project has not been easy but I believe every artist is very inviting to a new challenge; in a way that is what really teaches us new ways of doing things as well. It has taken a lot of planning, sleepless nights and exciting days to get this project to where it is now.

Doing all the installations single handedly in a matter of few days is never easy but again its that kind of stress you would sometimes need to be able to push yourself even further. I could already see there were lot of interest, questions and feedbacks...which is always a good thing, at the end of the day, my aim is to get viewers interested in my culture, to want to know more about it and to get involved. Now with the power of social media, I am asking the viewers to take part in this project and share their images.

This year, we are also celebrating the 45th annual Pilsen East Artists open house as well which is falling on October 9th and 10th 2015 - Whispering Walls is honored to be also featured as one of the events for this year's Chicago Artists Month. Details on the timing and dates are as below:

2nd Friday, October 9th 2015: 6pm - 10pm Saturday, October 10th 2015: 11am - 7pm

Checkout images our lovely Chicagoans have shared through @SarvinHaghighi on Instagram, twitter. Whispering Walls will be there for few more weeks, take part and share it #WhisperingWalls #SarvinHaghighi

Selected Artist - ShowPOD Chicago - September 2015

Pilsen is known as one of the most artistic neighborhoods in Chicago. Every 2nd Friday of the month, Pilsen artists open their studio doors to public to showcase their art. Most of the buildings in Pilsen are owned and managed by Podmajersky who have been doing an amazing job in terms of promoting the artists in their area. One of the events they manage is  showPODs which are a series of 7 exhibition spaces, compact, dynamic, unmanned, and designed to support concepts of art experimentation and installation. Conceptualized by John Podmajersky III, and created by the Chicago Arts District, showPODs create an instant art experience in the non-traditional space and format of a high exposure art installation operating around the clock. showPOD, by design, can be viewed by anyone at anytime during the life of its installation, allowing a rich public art experience that breaks down the traditional limits of a gallery space or museum.

I'm honored to be selected as one of the artists for ShowPOD in the month of September 2015. The aim of my installation is going to be a cultural exchange, to share a part of Iranian Culture which is colorful, poetic and mystic. I will be sharing more updates and images soon. At this stage I'm finalizing the sketches for all the windows.  This is an ambitious and challenging project yet very exciting and I can not be more grateful to be selected as one of the artists to show during 2015.

Below images are only few of the windows for the installations. Stay tuned for more images and for the progress on the project.

Introducing "The Persepolis Project"

The fiery destruction of Persepolis as a result of a drunken rage or a strategic geo-political move by Macedonian conquerors will be debated by his historians for ages. But the ages still whisper as you stand at the gates of this ancient city. Despite it’s torching in 330 BCE Once wandering it’s streets once still senses it’s unique place in Persian history as the the seat of government for the Achaemenian kings and a center for reception and ceremonial festivities. On first visit there I spent hours mesmerized by the carvings and the artistry of my ancestors. Those voices heard as faint echo’s from stone inspired the idea of creating the Perspolis Project.  I aim to amplify the whispers of those  amazing carvings - the Human-Headed Winged Lion, colossal bull head, Persian soldiers who are shown to be bringing tribute and gifts to the Persian king as a token of their loyalty - all are shown in these series mixed with a modern twist and using different media such as Farsi calligraphy, ink, paper, Acrylic, etc on wood panels. Dimensions vary. I invite you to view some of the art images HERE. The project is an ongoing project so stay tuned for some new images soon.