We Hold What We Carry, part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival, is on display at the Intermedia Gallery in CCA Glasgow until November 15.
The exhibition explores resilience, identity and belonging through the voices of Iranian women with lived experience of seeking sanctuary.
It uses storytelling, video, found objects and installation to reflect on the experience of living between places and explore themes of trauma, resilience and identity.
The Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival presents We Hold What We Carry (Image: Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival)
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Developed through the Mental Health Foundation’s Elevate project and the Hope campaign, the project was created and coordinated by Maryam Razeghian in close collaboration with participants, whose experiences are at the heart of the work, and led by artist and curator Paria M Goodarzi.
Nadia, one of the women involved in the project, has lived in Scotland with her two daughters for 11 years.
She praised the project for helping her reconnect with art.
Nadia said: “The artwork I helped create is inspired by the lotus flower, which you can find in the north of Iran.
“The flower represents strengths, resilience and the ability to thrive in the most difficult circumstances.
“There is much we can learn from the lotus, which comes out of misery and hopelessness in such a beautiful, hopeful way.
“Getting involved in this project has really helped me to express myself and talk about my feelings.
“Through the art and the symbols, we can better understand ourselves and how we’re feeling.”
Another participant, Roya, worked in tailoring for many years and has lived in Scotland for five years.
She has created four bold textile pieces for the exhibition.
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Roya said: “My artwork is exploring the different representations of the human spirit within each of us, but especially for people who have faced the hardship of having to leave their homes, their families and all they have known to seek sanctuary in another country.
“It honours the struggles that people have faced and how they have become stronger on the journey.
“It is different, but many things are the same – there is a river like I had in my hometown, and the people are lovely and very friendly.
“The main difference is the weather.”
For more information about We Hold What We Carry, visit the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival website.
