The drawings presented at this exhibition exemplify Tavakoli’s focus on exploring the inter-dependence of identity and memory. Identity can be understood a construct of recorded experiences. However, as the identity develops, it impinges on how experiences are recorded into memory. To depict this complex process which informs the way our sense of ourselves and the world evolves, Tavakoli makes detailed drawings that incorporate family photographs, images of war and conflicts, and memories of human connection. She then uses collage and drawing techniques to deconstruct her compositions. By deconstructing and reconstructing the fragments of the compositions in different ways, she observes the distortion and displacement of narratives and the emergence of new perceptions of reality.

Tavakoli’s work invites the viewer to ponder the disruptive impact of our current sociopolitical environment on how individual identities and worldviews are formed and how, in turn, those worldviews impact our environment.