Ghazaleh Avarzamani: Churn, Earn, Burn and then Return

Examining familiar objects and settings — like playgrounds, board games or sport arenas — Ghazaleh Avarzamani’s complex mixed media installations reveal the insidious ways in which our social and political realities are constructed, exposing the underlying social, economic and psychological structures that govern human behavior, knowledge and power relations. Poetic, funny and politically incisive – her works aim to uncover the paradoxical realities beneath the surface of society and its traditions, educational methodologies, individual aspirations, and cultural utopias. Through the careful scrutiny of popular forms of cultural expression such as fables, nursery rhymes, games, sports and manuals, she considers the persistent norms, rules and influences that shape interpersonal relations and impact our daily lives. Often creating spaces that are simultaneously inviting and destabilizing, Avarzamani interrogates the architecture of our society to encourage critical investigation and action. Churn, Earn, Burn and then Return offers a seemingly playful environment where viewers quickly discover the stakes are higher and the underlying implications more somber. Yet, at a time when we might feel powerless against large-scale global shifts, her work invites us to recognize and potentially disrupt the systems of control surrounding us. Curated by Mona Filip.