ARTIST STATEMENT:
Since my relocation to Canada, I've utilized photography as a therapeutic tool, allowing me to delve into a deeper understanding of my immigrant journey in this new homeland. Engaging with domestic spaces as part of my job, I often find myself in vacant homes surrounded by objects that seem left behind, each whispering echoes from the past. These moments prompt reflection on the memories woven into these spaces. The emptiness, stillness, and embedded silence deeply resonate with me, evoking memories and reminding me of our once-vibrant home in Tehran, Iran, now emptied by the migration of my entire family.
The absence of people in my photographs mirrors homes left behind due to migration and invites viewers to connect with the uninhabited domestic interiors through their own personal histories. This ongoing photographic series explores the common human experience of homesickness and longing for a place to call home.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY:
Mitra Samavaki (she/her) is an Iranian visual artist currently based in Calgary, Canada. She holds a BFA in Sculpture from Tehran University of Art and has recently received her Master of Fine Arts in Photography from the University of Calgary. Mitra practices art mainly through photography, occasionally incorporating installation and video elements. Photography, for her, is not only a journey of self-exploration but also a bridge that intimately connects her with people and her surrounding environment. Having relocated to Canada in 2021, Mitra's current artistic practices are deeply rooted in the themes of home, identity, and belonging. Her work is mostly inspired by her own experience as an immigrant living between two homelands.
With a background as a photojournalist and documentary photographer, she has worked for various news agencies, newspapers, and magazines in Iran for over a decade.
Mitra’s work has been presented in exhibitions at venues such as Contemporary Calgary, +15 Galleries, Nickle Galleries, the Art Gallery of Alberta, The Alberta Society of Artists, the Calgary Central Library, and Wild Skies Art Gallery. She has been awarded an Alberta Foundation for the Arts Graduate Scholarship and has received the 2023 InFocus Photo Emerging Photographer Award.
Beyond her individual artistic pursuits, she is the founder and owner of "Tiny-Gift," an Instagram page dedicated to support Iranian independent artists, designers, and makers by showcasing and promoting their work. This platform has evolved into an inspirational space, encouraging art enthusiasts to transform their passion into a business.
Additionally, last year, in collaboration with her husband, she co-founded Nomadic Studio. Driven by a shared passion for storytelling through photography, their objective is to create lasting visual narratives that capture the essence and emotion of special moments, turning them into treasured memories.