I am Iran, I am America

‘I am Iran, I am America,’ a site-specific, interactive mixed-media installation at the Milwaukee Art Museum, represents my journey from Iran to America. However, the most significant aspect of this piece highlights the political relationship between the United States and Iran.

In 1980, I was forced to leave Iran shortly after the 1979 revolution because of the persecution of the Baha’is, the imprisonment of my mother, and the religious execution of three of my relatives. Leaving with my infant daughter, I sought refuge in Europe before eventually seeking asylum in the United States in exile. As an Iranian American artist, women's and human rights activist, and educator, I have dedicated my artistic journey to examining the pain, loss, and sense of detachment that come from losing my country to a gruesome political system.

The smaller, three-tiered red and blue egg tempera painting depicts my feet during the 556-day journey to escape the country. It also echoes the government’s daily practice of public hangings across Iran.

The 8 ft by 8 ft round table is divided into two unequal halves, symbolizing my life split between the USA and Iran. At the time I completed the installation, I had spent fewer years in Iran than in the US since I had been in exile for decades. The top surface of each section is screen-printed with the words "Iran" and "America" in Persian. The fabric layers are also printed with the words in the contrasting colors of each country's flag.

No negotiations are happening around this divided and uneven round table, and no agreement has been reached.