"The boy with blue T-shirt"
A solo show by Atousa Bandeh
Iranian artist Atousa Bandeh has lived through migration, with all its complexities: a skewed identity, a double life—one foot in a peaceful society, one in a war invisible from the outside. She asks herself: How much of me do you see? Which layer of you am I seeing?
In her new series of works spanning painting, installation, and sculpture, the artist looks from her studio window into the courtyard. The sky above—with the recurring sunset filling her eyes again and again, and the earth below—a group of underage asylum seekers. They spend their days at picnic tables outside Bandeh’s studio, scrolling through their phones, waiting for their trials.
Through this body of work, Bandeh reflects on the power of seeing—the power to shape consciousness. Observing the world around her, she realises that how we see, what we see, and from where we see are not just matters of physics, location, and time, but also involve social, historical, and emotional dimensions. These layers cannot be removed, but becoming aware of them allows us to see more clearly.
And honestly, what I keep thinking about is this: when I look at them, I don’t even know what I’m supposed to see. Do I see their waiting, their boredom, their fear? Or do I only see what I want to see—something softer, simpler, less broken?
We look forward to welcoming you to the opening, Friday 17 April, from 17:00 until 19:00 hrs at Lumen Travo Gallery.