Open Call: Farideh Sakhaeifar

JUN 19 – AUG 25, 2019
A site-specific multimedia installation about the aftermath of a 1988 chemical attack on Halabja’s residents

About this commission

Mute is a site-specific multimedia installation that juxtaposes choreography and archival footage in an architecturally conceived viewing setting. The piece investigates the history of Saddam Hussein’s March 16, 1988, chemical attack against the Kurds of Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan, committed with support from western allies including the United States. 3,200 to 5,000 lives perished and 7,000 to 10,000 were gravely injured. Sakhaeifar’s piece uses dance to translate the pain that people experienced moments after the attack and represents failed attempts to translate the sensation of loss and pain through visual art.
Biography
Farideh Sakhaeifar is a Brooklyn-based artist and educator born in Tehran, Iran. Sakhaeifar’s work ranges from photography to installation and sculpture.
Creative Team
Mohammad Hossein Asgari, Engineering, Design, and Fabrication
Sadra Shahab, Sound Design
Isabel Umali, Dancer
Yessica Curiel-Montoya, Vesta Partovi, Cinematography
Yessica Curiel-Montoya, Lighting
Isalina Sanchez, Costume Designer

Location and dates

This event takes place in Level 2 Gallery.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Panasonic, Co-sponsor; Parallel Development; BRIC; Queens Museum; Residency Unlimited; Kazem Ghouchani; Sepideh Sakhaeifar; Hediyeh Sakhaeifar; Mostafa Sakhaeifar; Molly Block; Zac Merahn; Negar Behbahani; Theodore Petroulas; Jennifer Gerrow; Liam Billingham; Shaun Seneviratne; Susan Schuurman; Omid Barandeh; Mohammad Golabi; Maryam Darvishi; Maryam Ghoreishi; and Ahmad Yousefi.