Artists in Exile: Samira Abassy

"Honorable Suicide" from the Eternal War Series, 2008-2009. Oil on gesso, 1 of 12 panels, 12 x 12 inches each. Courtesy of the artist.

Artists in Exile opens this Saturday at Arario Gallery New York. Samira Abassy, whose paintings will be on view in the exhibition, was recently interviewed by curator and art consultant, Ayse Turgut. An excerpt: 

I left Iran when I was 2 and moved to London with my parents. Because my first language was Arabic, I went to school not knowing English, but learned it at school. Looking back I see it as cultural anthropology. There was sense of parallel reality between home and school. I couldn’t explain my culture—Arab-Iranian, as it was confusing. There were no foreigners in London except the Chinese restaurant. I never thought about being a minority as a child, but the feelings eventually came into fruition slowly. My work is a vehicle for me to merge cultures, a place to contextualize and establish my identity. The move to London was a huge leap culturally in terms of adjustment. It still has reverberations.

Read the complete interview.