The Ghazelian-Method

Ghazel (b. 1966, Iran) is at the top of her performance art game even though she has been dealing with the theme of "displacement" since the mid-90s; it takes a lot of skill to make a 20 years tried-and-true topic continuously interesting and relevant. How? Well... that's Ghazel's secret know-how but I think it probably has something to do with her sense of humor. 

Family Tree is the latest extension of Ghazel's seminal Me series and arguably her most personal of a very personal exploration into her own history as a displaced being (Iran, France). She relives her childhood with anecdotes in her child-self voice, printed simply on photographs or in short videos and accompanies the text with emulations of the characters she speaks of, in a black and white, anti-formalist, almost slap-stick style. For example, her dog:

Ghazel Episode 10 Dino from Family Tree series, 2013

Did I mention every character wears a chador? Curious why? Read the exhibition text on Family Tree for a deeper look into why she does what she does.  

Ghazel Ghazel Ghazel