Whispering walls

Whispering Walls revealed... by Sarvin Haghighi

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This past Sunday - June 14th 2015 - we celebrated the new location of Evanston Art Center with some amazing art. The first show in the new location called "Hybrid's Paradise" curated by Sergio Gomez will be open to public for visit till August 9th 2015. I was honored to be selected as one of the artists for this amazing event so I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a bit about Whispering Walls.

Sarvin Haghighi

Whispering Walls 2015

Installation of mixed media including glass blocks, ink, paper, and oil paint.

 CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PIECE IN THIS SHORT VIDEO

Artist Statement

Building off the notion of walls, and how they serve to protect and safeguard, I conceived this installation as a way to represent the fused reality of my hybrid existence. The piece is meant to link together the equally rich, but often diametrically opposed cultures of the Eastern and Western worlds.

I choose glass blocks for the exterior of this piece, as they are commonplace here in Chicago – my new home since moving here from Dubai in 2012. They speak to the architectural significance and wonder of this great city. And they present a nice, polished façade – much like many of us try to do in daily life. Yet their transparency allows the viewer to get a suggestive glimpse at what lies beneath.

While the overall color palette speaks to American patriotism, and my new home - what’s imbedded between the exterior panels is what speaks to my core. As a child, my parents would read to me the poetry of Rumi, which to this day remains a large part of my soul. I like to think his words whisper through these foreign walls to the viewer – conveying a universal and timeless message.

Special thanks to:-

  • Sergio Gomez for having this piece on the exhibit and for the video
  • David Mugra for writing this amazing artist statement on this piece
  • Mohsen Kamza for adding music to the video
  • Song title - Elements by Lindsey Stirling

 

Countdown to view Hybrid's Paradise curated show by Sarvin Haghighi

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We are now few days away from the grand opening of Evanston Art Center (EAC)'s new beautiful location. Hybrid's Paradise is a group exhibition curated by Sergio Gomez. This installation was challenging for me but again as I always say, I believe as an artist, we should be challenged every now and then and get out of our comfort zones.

After many trips to HomeDepot and lots of other places, the creation of the installation was going as per planned. Although there were some days when things went wrong but again the end result turned out to be what I wanted.

The piece weighs 300 pounds so another big challenge was to get it in the truck and take it to the Evanston Art Center. My lovely husband helped me massively and with his help - and some others of course - we were able to get it done.

It was like a huge weight was off of my shoulders. The whole process was stressful and I didn't know if it will be what I envisioned it to be, but now looking at it, sitting on a great location behind one of the biggest windows of EAC, I felt so satisfied.

The opening is on June 14th from 1-4 pm and we are expecting a lot of people to show up. It's going to be a great show - Stay tuned for some photos and news during and after the opening. Whispering walls are waiting for you to come say hi!

More information on the EAC opening HERE

 

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Hybrid's Paradise Exhibit @ Evanston Art Centre's new location by Sarvin Haghighi

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Evanston Art Centre is going to have a new home.

There are exciting things happening in Evanston. The Evanston Art Center (EAC) is moving to its new location soon. Founded back in early 1930, EAC has been always dedicated to fostering the appreciation and expression of the arts amongst diverse audiences by believing in the power of art to inspire, amaze and enrich.  EAC offers extensive and innovative instruction in board areas of artistic endeavor through various classes, exhibition, art activities and community outreach.
It is an honor to have my artwork selected for the opening ceremony of EAC to celebrate their new location. The selection process was curated by the one and only Sergio Gomez who is a s a Chicago-based visual artist and creative entrepreneur. He is also the Director of Exhibitions at the Zhou B. Art Center.  I can not describe how I felt when I found out my name is within the artists handpicked by him for this special event.  The name of the exhibit is "Hybrid's Paradise" so prepare yourselves to experience amazing artwork around this theme. Being part of this amazing group of artists is an absolute honor.
For this exhibition I'm creating something very different; an Art installation. It is challenging yet exciting as I believe it's necessary for artists to come out of their comfort zones once in a while. The opening ceremony is approaching so it needs a lot of hard work.... but surely will be rewarding. Stay tuned as I will update you on the process of my installation. For now just remember #Whisperingwalls

I can not wait to celebrate the new location of EAC with you all. Mark your calendars, tell your friends and those who are interested and come join us at this amazing new location.

Date & Time: Sunday, June 14th 2015 - From 1-4 pm

Location : 1717 Central Street, Evanston

The official invitation will be shared soon as well. Hope to see you all there.

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