Bitter Smell by Paria Goodarzi: Exhibition Opening

Bitter Smell by Paria Goodarzi

Embodies feelings of displacement and serves as a starting point for exploring questions related to identity, belonging, and the abstract nature of distance.

Exhibition Opening

Thursday 4th July, 6 PM - 9 PM

with traditional Iranian music by Aref Ghorbani

Weekend Opening Times

5th, 6th & 7th July

12 PM - 5 PM

Accessibility

The gallery space is on Level 6 of the Argyll Arcade. Enter from Buchanan Street passage way and take the lift situated on the left to the 6th floor. Alternatively climb the stairs to the top. Once inside Argyll Chambers (Level 6), the ground is flat throughout with accessible toilets available.

Please help us know how many to expect and register your attendace for the opening by processing a free ticket.

Bitter Smell

Bitter Smell raises doubts about geographic boundaries and evokes complex emotions, affecting our search for direction in navigating multiple social situations. It explores how intimacy and detachment can coexist, interrogating diasporic culture beyond national definitions and imagined borders. Shedding light on the daily struggles of the immigration process in democratic society, the exhibition is a personal response to the British citizenship process and political relationships over the past years. It aims to represent human progress, negotiate national identity, power, and the value of time.

This work delves into supposedly irreconcilable differences, prompting reflection on transforming history and the present, bridging the self and others into a common subjective experience. To emphasise the process of formation, transition, and the reality of migration, the exhibition comments on the dehumanisation of modern society and explores geopolitical and national developments in our global world.

Paria Goodarzi

Paria Goodarzi is an Iranian-born artist and social art practitioner, a member of UNESCO RILA Affiliated Artist network, and The Young Academy of Scotland. Paria studied BA(Hons) in Textile Design from the University of Science & Culture in Tehran, Sculpture & Environmental Art at Glasgow School of Art, and Master of Adult Education, Community Development & Youth Work at Glasgow University.

A significant aspect of her work involves the creation of socially engaged art projects that respond to concepts of cultural belonging, representation, and displacement. These projects enhance the well-being and visibility of individuals from diverse cultural and social backgrounds. “I use my art to explore cultural and political transfers and translocations, as well as reflecting the pull of the contemporary human condition, cultural identity, and displacement. I am a multidisciplinary artist, delving into the formation and representation of identity, often producing collaborative, participatory, and socially engaged artworks.”

Aref Ghorbani

Aref is an Iranian trained classical musician, living in Scotland. He has an MSc. in Global Migrations and Social Justice from Glasgow University, and has been working in the refugee sector since 2016. You may have spotted Aref performing in numerous festivals, including Refugee Festival Scotland, COP26, Edinburgh Fringe, and Edinburgh International Festival!

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