Zendegi

23 February – 30 April 2023, solo exhibition at Arts Gen downstairs at Footscray Community Arts

“The name of this exhibition زندگی Zendegi means life in Farsi. English is a bit basic though and doesn’t really capture the word’s full complexity. The start of زندگی Zendegi is زن Zan which means woman. This represent the centrality of women to life. For me this is important because the phrase زن زندگی آزادی (Women Life Freedom) is also a symbol of the protests that are happening in Iran right now.”

Zendegi is a colourful display of photographs, watercolour paintings and textiles that evoke the spirit and vibrancy of pre-Islamic Republic Iran. Artist Kate Robinson draws upon the stories and photographs of her aunt Mehri to create a bright and bold alternative vision of what it means to be Iranian: a world of patterns, sparkles, and a lot of colour.

“Just like my aunt lives at the intersection of Mary and Mehri, and LA and Iran, I exist at the intersection of Iranian and Australian.”