IN TRANSIT examines the physical space- en route- to a new life in Australia and the promise of freedom as well as the transient state of being as we travel the path of self-knowledge, new awakenings and emerging identities.
In this series I examine the concept of time and language. The collection of drawings, paintings and installations reference the time spent in transit to freedom for asylum seekers and the duality in the use of language as a tool to disseminate the fear of otherness.
For this body of work I pushed myself to work outside of my usual practice of drawing and mixed media. I experimented with found materials and reflective surfaces. It is quite a large collection of works which I exhibited at, 107 Project Gallery, Redfern, Me Artspace, St Leonards ( as part of the Spirit Sisters joint exhibition I curated) and in the Other Art Fair, Sydney in 2016.
Pictured above is a paper boat installation, in the center of the black void is a red paper board with the words “Azadi” written in Farsi which means freedom. I invited the audience to create their own paper boat using Japanese origami technique and place their boat in the installation. On the paper was printed the ‘Values and Principles’ statement of Australian society, what we all pledge to uphold when becoming a citizen. Some of the words are highlighted such as: freedom, compassion for those in need, egalitarian, peacefulness. As the participant folds the paper into the boat these words fade in and out of view.
Nazanin Marashian 