Where Are You Really From?

Where Are You Really From? is an exploration by artist Moozhan Ahmadzadegan into the complex intersections of ethnicity, cultural hybridity, and nationality Ahmadzadegan, a Kelowna artist who recently completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts at UBC Okanagan, is interested in the ritual conversation he finds himself having quite often as an Okanagan resident. He is often asked the question “where are you from?” from strangers upon first meeting. He responds, as a second-generation Canadian, that he is from Canada. The follow-up question is almost always the same, “where are you really from?”. Language plays an important role in this work in two ways. On one level, he is interested in the way language can be used to unintentionally “other” individuals. And on another, the artist employs the use of Farsi and English text to navigate his cultural hybridity, exploring both aspects of his identity. Ahmadzadegan’s investigation into the ways we navigate our own experiences, identities and our perception of the ‘other’ prompts viewers to consider their own biases and challenge what we understand to be ‘Canadian’. This exhibition is on view in the Window Gallery from Nov 20, until Jan 9, 2021.