Statement:

Where there is power, there is resistance. Negotiating with power and probing the boundaries of imposed societal restrictions can foster creativity and lead to the development of new subjectivities.

These ever-evolving resistive tensions form the basis of collective resilience; individuals forge supportive bonds and establish collective identities through their shared experience of subjugation and resistance.///

In societies under totalitarian rule, individuals and communities develop a multiplicity of ingenious ways to navigate and challenge imbalanced power relations.

In the public sphere, resistance may take the form of defiance, protest, or subtle means of circumventing red tape. In the meantime, private spaces shielded from the surveillance of disciplinary power often become venues for self-expression where creativity and freedom of thought thrive.

In collaboration with Vancouver’s Iranian Visual Arts (VIVA) Alliance, this exhibition featuring the works of Iranian-Canadian artists seeks to explore narratives of resistance, resilience, and adaptability in navigating dichotomous experiences while celebrating singular instances of creative and cultural self-sovereignty that subvert prevailing norms and regulations.