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Artist Experience I am a freelance photographer, born & raised in Iran, with extended time <br />throughout my formative years spent in Spain, Pakistan, & Nigeria. I have <br />resided in the United States for the majority of my adult life. In 2017 I went <br />back to my motherland to reconnect with my roots & explore the timeless <br />traditions & trades of different regions in the country. My series of <br />exhibitions upon my return stateside in 2019, titled Persia Sublime, served <br />as a visual tapestry of the millennia-old architectural wonders of Iran. In <br />2020, at the peak of the pandemic, I again traveled to the Middle East. As <br />a contrast to the photographs of mosques, palaces, tombs & other historic <br />sites in my earlier exhibitions, this wave of journeys focused on the people <br />whose daily lives are encompassed by those spaces. W ith the world at a <br />standstill, people were seldom traveling. I was fortunate to capture the only <br />images of the saffron harvest season in Seh Gonbad, going on to <br />document traditional Caspian fishing methods in Siyahrud, & silk fabric <br />weaving in Kashan. These expeditions served as the basis for Different <br />Heavens, an exhibition held in 2021, which had strict gathering size <br />regulations & health protocols in place. The autumn of the same year I <br />undertook explorations of various Persian Gulf islands & coasts. I had <br />returned to Iran during the seemingly endless pandemic, intending on <br />trekking around the provinces of East & W est Azerbaijan, in the northwest <br />reaches of the country. W hen travel restrictions forced me to cancel, fate <br />& chance recommendations landed me in the opposite direction, on the <br />subtropical southern fringes of my motherland. Boasting some of the most <br />colorful landscape & locals I have ever encountered, Hormozgan Province <br />borders the gulf where it meets the Strait of Hormuz, the preeminent <br />strategic chokepoint on Earth. I believe these voyages yielded some of the <br />most kaleidoscopic & engaging photos I have had the privilege to shoot, <br />capturing some of the lesser known parts of the Middle East. In late 2022 & <br />early 2023, Iran was rocked by anti-government protests, with women at <br />the forefront of demonstrations. I arrived in Tehran days before a months- <br />long internet blackout & military curfews threw all plans into disarray. These <br />obstacles only reinforced a sense of purpose, as I pursued crossings to <br />remote villages, seeking out the unique & colorful traditional garb of Iranian <br />women in different regions. My recent exhibition, Restless Anahita, is a <br />particolored passage through the rainbow of traditional cloth & pays <br />homage to mothers, sisters, & daughters, the backbone of Persian society. <br />Through my photography, I seek to share with the viewer the many layers <br />that comprise this ancient civilization, where despite the influx of <br />modernization, certain ways of life continue as they have for centuries, if <br />not longer. In my path as a visual artist, I am attempting to inform my <br />audience of a sense of place in far-flung locales which they may otherwise <br />not have the opportunity to experience. <br />How do you plan to <br />market your project? <br />Previous marketing methods have been a multi-pronged approach, adjusted <br />to meet the needs of each project. For prior exhibitions I secured on-air <br />interviews & write-ups with local radio/TV/print media, in addition to <br />grassroots promoting of the shows. All events will be added to my personal <br />website as well as the OCAC & DAC calendars, online creative & art <br />groups, & my social media. An email blast will be sent to patrons, promo <br />flyers will be distributed at local campuses & businesses. <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: 02859F63-3D23-4F41-8A2A-72A471A6BA01