Statement:

Looking at Me Looking at You, Ali Tahayori's first solo exhibition at THIS IS NO FANTASY, coincides with the gallery's presentation of his work at Unseen Photo Fair Amsterdam.///

The exhibition reflects the interdisciplinary nature of Tahayori's practice, featuring mirror works, photographic-based mirror pieces, and multimedia installation.

Looking at Me Looking at You centres around the mechanics of looking. Blurring the boundaries between photography, drawing, and sculpture, each medium informs and complements the others, and combine to reflect the complexity of human identity.

Tahayori's practice aims to provide a queer perspective on portraiture, and in queering the gaze, it gives the portrait a right of reply, an agency in looking back at the viewer. Complicating the ideas of ownership and agency, the works pose the question: Who owns the image, who looks at it and who is at the centre of the observer's gaze.