Parallel Lives comes to life in NY this June

  Parallel lives is a traveling exhibition series that swaps Artists work between two distinct cities to initiate conversation and context about Artist’s practices and their communities. This exhibit is created and curated by Luis Martin, Founder and Chief Curator of Parenthesis Art Space in NY. I had the honor to meet and get to know Luis during one of his Chicago visits.

This collaboration invites the audience of both cities to think about art and the Artists that made the work in terms of context and questions the influence of place and time. Furthermore, the PARALLEL LIVES series will create a platform to expand the Artist’s reach to forge a wider sense of community and visibility.

The first part of the show took place during the Zhou B Art center's third Fridays at Art NXT Level Projects / 33 Contemporary Gallery which exhibited works of selected artists by Luis Martin from NY. As part of the Traveling Series Parallel Lives, Artists from Chicago will be showing their work during Bushwick Open Studios (BOS). I'm honored to be featured in this amazing exhibit at Parenthesis Art Space in New York curated by Luis Martin and Chicago's very own Sergio Gomez. Being in NY is obviously always exciting and the fact that I will be there celebrating this amazing exhibit with such talented group of artists, is just phenomenal.

The exhibit is open to public on June 4-5th 2016 from 11 am to 6 pm located at 203 Harrison Place, Brooklyn, NY 11237. In addition, on Sunday, June 5th at 1 pm, there will be a special Artist talk called "Closing the Gap" by Artist and curator, Sergio Gomez. In this dynamic talk, Sergio will share advise on how to convert obstacles and fears into life-changing opportunities. Dr. Yanina Gomez will also share that one thing we all need to help us foster and maintain an optimistic mindset. Don't miss this event!

We can not wait to celebrate with you. Come join us and let's connect Chicago and NY Art scene more than ever before.

Third Fridays at Zhou B Art Center

THE ZHOU B ART CENTER

The Zhou B Art Center was founded in 2004 by the internationally acclaimed Zhou Brothers. Located in Bridgeport, the Zhou B Art Center's mission is to promote and facilitate a cultural dialogue by organizing contemporary art exhibitions and programs of international scope. As a Center created by artists, for artists, the vision of the Center is to facilitate the exchange of contemporary art between Chicago and the international art community and promote the convergence of Eastern and Western art forms in the United States.

Ever since my move to Chicago, my vision has been to become one of the established artists in the city and being part of  Zhou B community has provided this very opportunity. The resident artists within different floors of the building have been welcoming and inspiring in many ways. This is a true meaning of having an art community where you have the support and guidelines to get closer to your vision.

Every 3rd Friday of the month, The Zhou B Art Center opens exhibitions with an evening reception from 7pm-10pm located at 1029 W 35th Avenue, Chicago IL. These events are free of charge and provide the community of Bridgeport and the Chicago area a unique opportunity to explore a blend of international and local art. The artists-in-residence at the Art Center open their studios to visitors, making this a unique opportunity for the community to meet working artists and discuss their work in person. The variety of the work produced by the artists-in-residence and the four in-house gallery spaces makes the Zhou B Art Center 3rd Friday Exhibitions one of the most diverse art experiences in the city.

As we are getting closer to warmer weather in this amazing city, mark your calendars and come visit us for the upcoming third Fridays. Photos are taken by the one and only Sergio Gomez from this past third Friday event at my studio space located at Zhou B Art Center. The word you see on the walls is "Love" in Farsi. I was born in the year of revolution in Tehran/Iran. Growing up I remember seeing lots of graffiti as political protest decorating the walls of Tehran. I'm a true believer of power in writing positivity and affirmations. By scribing "LOVE" over and over in this space, I hope for it to circulate more positive energy. I'm using the power of this world to showcase one of the most influential elements in our lives

 

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