Chupan Mehraneh Atashi’s political acts of remembering

Confronted with the mechanics of control and censorship in their home country of Iran, Chupan Mehraneh Atashi started searching for other ways of portraying themselves. Captivated by their self-portraits and pictures of flowers, Katayoon Barzegar follows the artist as they install their exhibition at EKKM in Estonia, and traces the fruitful symbols of seeds and flowers in their work, sketching a portrait of an who continuously cultivates different ways of re-interpreting the self.

This text emerged from a profound an ongoing conversation between Chupan Mehraneh Atashi and myself, in their studio in Amsterdam in September 2023. The dialogue continued afterwards, beyond the physical space and online, as the artist installed their work at the Contemporary Art Museum of Estonia (EKKM). Throughout this ongoing exchange, we shared pictures and voices, and engaged in discussions spanning the realms of the past, present, and future, encapsulated within artworks that bear a rich history of resistance.

Chupan Mehraneh Atashi (1980, Tehran) is a visual artist based in Amsterdam and Washington, DC, whose practice encompasses sculpture, drawing, animation, photography, writing, sound, performance, and installation. Throughout their various projects, Atashi consistently returns to specific materials, manifesting them in different configurations. Most recently, Atashi presents a series of works in the group exhibition titled Laugh of Medusa at EKKM, curated by Maria Helen Känd, on view from October 27th to December 17th, 2023. The constellation that Atashi has crafted in this current exhibition blends previous works with new ones, forming what could be considered a mid-career showcase, with works spanning from 2008 to 2023. All series within the exhibition are deeply intertwined with the artist’s life experiences and speak to Atashi’s approach to art as an ongoing project devoid of linearity and a fixed endpoint.