Behind the Scenes with Zoya Sardashti | Fear No Art

TL;DR

Zoya Sardashti discusses her background, art projects, and the concept of waking up Iranian through performance art.

Transcript

i'm dr laura bullock the curator of fear no art civic engagement histories currencies and i'm here today speaking with one of the artists featured in the exhibition zoya sardashti zoya was born in denver colorado to an american mother and an iranian father and she spent most of her childhood in the southern part of the u.s she has independently pro... Read More

Key Insights

• 🎭 Zoya Sardashti's performance art practice is informed by her background in theater, dance, and desire to direct.
• 📽️ The "Waking Up Iranian" project addresses confrontations around identity and othering through performative interventions.
• 🥰 Walking is a central theme in Zoya's performance art, symbolizing resistance, freedom, and interconnectedness.
• 🥰 Zoya emphasizes care ethics and non-violent resistance in her performance art practice, aiming to build trust and challenge societal norms.
• 🥰 The interactive nature of Zoya's performance art invites participants to engage with identity narratives and cultural exploration.
• 🥰 Zoya's use of costume, masks, and language in performance art serves as a means of embodying histories and creating dialogues.
• 🛰️ By democratizing the performance art space, Zoya creates intimate, personal experiences that challenge traditional power dynamics.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Zoya Sardashti's background in theater influence her transition to performance art?

Zoya Sardashti's training in theater, dance, and directing led her to form a collaborative performance art collective and explore transgressive multidisciplinary art.

Q: What inspired Zoya Sardashti's project "Waking Up Iranian"?

"Waking Up Iranian" was inspired by the daily confrontations regarding identity and background that Zoya experienced, aiming to challenge othering and foster understanding through performance art.

Q: Why did Zoya Sardashti choose walking as a central mode of expression in her performance art?

Walking symbolizes assembly, resistance, and freedom of movement, drawing influences from the Situationists and incorporating hybrid costuming to explore interconnected identities.

Q: How does Zoya Sardashti incorporate care ethics and quiet resistance in her performance art practice?

Zoya emphasizes building trust and ethical relationships through softness and quietness, using performance art as a whisper that leads to stronger voices of resistance and non-violence.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Zoya Sardashti shares her journey from theater to solo performance art.

• Her project "Waking Up Iranian" addresses identity politics and human rights issues.

• The interactive performance art piece engages participants in exploring identity and cultural narratives.