My work is a palimpsest in which the decaying residues of my past become visually overwhelmed by the ambiguity and temporality of the present. Despite its utter darkness, however subjective, the past is irrecoverable, and the present, despite its embellishments, inadequate. Both are ephemeral, yet inextricably linked.
Intertwining and disintegrating urban elements within the city of Tehran- where I grew up, and Los Angeles, where I live, establish an indissoluble combination of past and present. Los Angeles is painted in color on top of collaged black and white images from my personal archive to suggest the disjunctive quality embodied in multiple places and times. The resulting work on canvas reveals the layers of my heritage and lived experiences in Iran and the United States, yielding visceral compositions that resonate beyond geographical boundaries.
Ayda Gragossian 