Moozhan Ahmadzadegan

One thing is certain and the rest is lies is a continued exploration on navigating
Queer culture as a person connected to the Iranian diaspora in so-called Canada. My practice
involves connecting with my Iranian heritage through traditional forms of art such as Persian
miniatures, Mughal miniatures, and illuminated manuscripts. Persian miniatures were often
created to accompany stories and poetry written by familiar figures such as Hafez, Rumi, and
Omar Khayyam. Common visual elements of Persian miniatures include intricate patterns, high
horizon lines, symbolic fauna and flora, flat 2D compositions, skewed perspectives, and
disruptive architecture. I describe these architectural elements as “skewed” and “disruptive” as
the perspectives often lack visual rationality through flatness and a lack of vanishing points.
Using these formal visual elements and the poetic nature of the source material as a reference
point, I aim to bring these illustrations into a physical space through interdisciplinary practice.
My intentions are to disrupt these traditional forms to establish an intimate space as a means of
queering these spaces.