Saved by "Love" once again...

With our amazing friend Anthony Ponce who gave me a ride back from O'Hare in his BackSeatRider Lyft Car. 

As you might have heard by now, I was one of those affected by the Immigration Ban which took place few weeks ago. My husband, Andy and I were visiting my family in Melbourne, Australia at the time. Since Andy had to leave due to work reasons, the plan for me was to spend more few days with my parents and then go back home to Chicago. Late in the day on Jan. 27, President Trump issued an executive order instituting a travel ban on seven countries. There was no specificity to the order so as advised by my immigration lawyer, I decided to stay put till we get more details on the order. We were hearing all these stories about Green Card holders being detained, some were sent back to the countries of origin and/or were questioned for hours before being let in to the U.S.

I was heartbroken, sad and insulted. Wasn't sure if I could even come back to at least pack my bags. Andy started an amazing campaign to bring me back home and our story got a lot of attention due to the help and support of may friends, specially with the support of my amazing friend Anthony Ponce. He has a podcast called Back Seat Rider which I highly recommend. He shared our story and we got a lot of coverage and managed to raise awareness on this issue. I truly believe by putting a face on the problem, people really could relate more and could see this could happen to any normal couple like us.  Every night I was going through all the things I used to do and places I usually go to in Chicago, thinking I might not have the chance to enjoy our life in Chicago. Few days later we got to know that Green Card holders were not included in the ban but still they were being detained for hours on their port of entry to the U.S. Phones and laptops were confiscated, etc. We decided the best for me is to go through Chicago to have access to my lawyer if need be. Therefore, I was booked on my flight from Melbourne to Dubai and then to Chicago (two back to back 15 hours flight). Nothing like being on the plane for that long going through whats going to happen once you land, but thankfully once I landed in Dubai, I got to know that the whole EO was put on hold. Once I landed in Chicago I was sent to another room and the officers asked me few questions and I was out within 20 minutes. Happy but still shaking I got to see my amazing husband and some of our amazing friends. I got a ride back home with my lovely friend Anthony Ponce in his Lyft car and got to experience being a passenger on Back Seat Rider. 

I am back now, I am still heartbroken as I am not sure what future holds for me and so many others in similar situation, when will I be able to see my family and where? Banning a whole nation is wrong in so many ways, painting everyone with the same brush is just unacceptable. I am proud of my country, my heritage and I will not let this bigotry and hatred dominate the rich and beautiful culture of my country and its amazing people. I will continue to raise awareness through my art and share the message of Love through Rumi and my pieces, I strongly feel its needed more than ever and that is why I am here now living through this interesting times.

I am grateful for all the support and love we got form everyone as I am sure this is the reason why I was not hassled as much. Our wonderful friends, family from far and near as well as those who became family throughout this time. A big shout out to the amazing people at Moveon.org, and ACLU for all they do. We all need to support them as they are really trying to protect the constitutional rights of those in hard situations, so please donate, volunteer or help them in anyway you can.  Our amazing team of lawyers were so supportive I could never thank them enough and of course my amazing husband who showed the world that true love exists and it is not just in fairy tales. LOVE TRUMPS HATE! 

Feel Free to read some of the articles on our story. Let's keep on raising awareness to hopefully help those in need of our support. 

Chicago Tribune Article

Chicago Tonight - WTTW

DNA Info - Chicago

ABC Melbourne - Australia

Tempo Memoria Group Exhibition in Italy

Group shot 

Turin

I was thrilled when Sergio Gomez asked me to be part of this amazing group exhibition. I have shown my work internationally before in London Biennale but this was a different experience. We were going to exhibit in a Museum in Turin-Itlay. I was debating if I should go on the trip or not...after all traveling to Italy is not really cheap. But then again I thought how many times I would get this chance to go and meet up with other artist friends of mine, maybe meet up with old friends who might be traveling in Europe in summer and of course experience the exhibition in person. So here I went to the amazing city of Turin. As soon as I got to see downtown and where the museum was located, I was blown away. This charming city has a lot of character, lot of energy, I was simply blown away.

The next day we all were there for the opening. What a night this was. It was truly an amazing experience. The next few days went by so fast with visiting the landmarks and museums and even a one day trip to Milan. As an artist, I truly believe traveling is always necessary as it will open new doors, gives you inspirations and ideas and also connects you to so many amazing people...

Below photos were taken by the amazing Sergio Gomez who curated this exhibit, who showed us how to dare to dream again...

The Museum MIIT

Each artist had two pieces in this exhibit. As for me below pieces were shown. It actually made it to the local newspaper in Turin as well!

Met a friend from Dubai after 4 years

Photo by ACS Magazine

During the opening night, each artist talked a bit about their work and how it is linked to the theme of the exhibit "Time & Memory" - We all had a blast.

Opening Reception 

The whole experience was just amazing, being able to showcase my art outside Iran and U.S and in Europe was so heart warming. The exhibit runs till August 20th 2016 so in case you find yourself in the beautiful charming city of Turin, make sure to pay a visit to this lovely museum and see our works.

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