Mohsen Gallery Presents ‘Pocket Memories’ by Farshido Larimian
The Iranian artist’s second installation at the gallery highlights the importance of not only immortalising stories, but also making sure they are heard
As Larimian’s second solo show at Mohsen Gallery, the Iranian artist presents Pocket Memories, a collection centred on the idea of narrative, everyday objects and modern life.
Recuperating nostalgia as a human attitude towards life that highlights the personal and the emotional, Pocket Memories focuses on the Syrian and Afghani refugees who are forced to move out of their homes and bring little to no possessions with them. Learning about the stories behind the objects belonging to those who could bring them, Larimian presents these objects, with consent, alongside its representation in the form of a sketch. Arranged in a vitrine manner reminiscent of the crowded hanging of family photographs in a 19th-century living room somewhere in the Middle East, the objects and sketches retain their sense of intimacy, making the viewer aware of their privilege to be in their presence. Intertwining personal and political histories, the Iranian artists displays a melancholic as well as hopeful narrative of the lives of people who were left behind as well as a celebration of the people who were not.
Also part of the exhibition in another installation, Larimian shares a little of his own personal history with his audience. Mapping the floor plan of his late grandfather’s house onto the gallery floor, objects like his grandfather’s masonry work tools and old papers hang on the walls – giving audiences an insight into the life of a man they do not know, but can become acquainted with through his belongings.
Pocket Memories shares individual stories whilst creating a space of reflection and retrospect. Through the humanisation of a world where people are frequently represented as no more than numbers on a page, Larimian affectionately bares the vulnerability of human life.
Pocket Memories by Farshido Larimian is on exhibition at Mohsen Gallery until December 21, 2016.