Heart Left In the Bag
Watercolor, acrylic ink, paper, 318x200 cm each work, 2024-2025
Photo credit: Plato gallery
Heart Left in the Bag began with dialogues and interviews I conducted with female immigrants in the USA. I was interested in how their awareness of time transformed as they grappled with historical events that forced them to leave their countries for a comparatively safer place. Leyla moved to the U.S. from Azerbaijan, Hengameh came from Iran after the revolution, and Angie immigrated from the Philippines. All three have served as nurses in the U.S. for years. Leyla worked in a public hospital in New York during the Covid pandemic, Hengameh faced the AIDS crisis in California, and Angie worked as a nurse at a cancer ward. I asked them all: "When did you start feeling that you were living in history? That your life was being shaped by larger historical events beyond your control?" The title of the project comes from a quote by Hengameh: “When I left my country, I had only my bag with me. I left without my husband, family, and friends. I packed my luggage, but I felt heavier than the bag itself because I left my heart in the bag.”
Details:
Installation view (Plato Gallery, New York City, January 10th - February 8th, 2025)
