Gohar Dashti. Stateless

In the new project Stateless (2014-2015), Gohar Dashti questions the boundaries between the inner universe and social vision, observe yourself though, precisely in relation to balance (or imbalance) with nature: "Silent witness" of a suffering mosaic of lives.

The catalog was created for the "Limbo" exhibition, edited by Silvia Cirelli, Workshops at the gallery of the Image (4 February – 16 April 2016) and was previewed at Arte Fiera 2016.

Although at first glance one is captivated by the extraordinary surrounding landscape - the desert island of Qeshm, Iranian territory overlooking the Persian Gulf - past the spell, the artist leads us to overturn the reading plan, forcing us to be aware of an intuitive restlessness.

The protagonists of the shots do not seem at ease in this immaculate setting, they show themselves inexplicably strangers to the place they live in, almost exposed to an imposed vulnerability. Their gazes are distressed and frightened, scarred by hidden scars. Like bits of chewed stories, that intertwine without ever overlapping, the shots resume an archive of consumed memories that burst into the narrative, cracking its perception. […]

This is where Gohar Dashti's great stylistic ability comes into play: capture the collective memory, to then offer it to the viewer, urging him to share, to the participation of a feeling. A feeling that here strips away the suffering of abandonment, a forced condition that has forced and continues to force millions of refugees and exiles to separate from their homes, their family, your country, only to find himself stateless, precisely. Due to wars, illnesses, abuse or repression, these victims of contemporary society bear the wounds of a shattered inner universe, returned without promises.

The roof of their house "burned out", but who knows if they really "will be able to see the moon", who knows, as Dashti herself asks, “The sky can never become a safe haven and the mountains solid home walls?”. [Silvia Cirelli]