A Tale of Today: Materialities - Driehaus Museum
Threaded Memories, 2025
This once was Addie’s bedroom. A cozy and intimate space where to recollect and rest. Central to this room was a large Persian rug that faced the fireplace—its rich patterning and color pallet added a touch of domestic warmth to the grand aura of the marble palace. Persian rugs are deeply intertwined with the cultural and religious heritage of Iran. They often feature motifs and patterns that are symbolic, such as solar symbols or the Tree of Life, which represent immortality and eternal life. In this piece, Motlagh explores entwined histories of migration and cultural identity and how a rug can connect faraway lands, identities, and realities. This sculptural piece, which reproduces the patterns of one of the rugs in the artist’s native Iranian home comprises dried leaves collected from trees her father planted in the family garden mixed with others that were collected during the autumn of 2024 around the Nickerson’s Mansion. Blend together, these vegetal fragments map a rich and harmonious pattern of timeless memories and ideals.
Text and curation by Giovanni Aloi
Special thanks to the Driehaus Museum, Alec Rudek, and Patrick Dykstra
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