What I recall most dearly and vividly is the land, the mountains, the winding roads,
and the thrilling bumpy rides in my dad's jeep...
I remember the fruit trees and how I would climb them up and down,
and all the picnic outings
in the rolling fields,
and my mother with all her fierce independence...
It is the land I desire to see and to touch... The land brings us together
and it separates us.
In essence we are all aliens...
Looking at these photographs
from long ago
all the packed away memories begin to unravel
and I question
the actuality of the events.
I question emotional and sensory memories.
What is reality and what is fiction -- the nature of history and how we tell it.
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My mother and I in
Kurdish costumes on the rooftop by the mountains in Kurdistan, 1960. |
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Ladder to the
roof, Bijar, 1958
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In
Kurdish costume,
Saqqiz, 1960. |
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Age three, dressed in my girl
scout uniform
on a day of community service,
Main
Circle, Saqqiz, 1961
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These photographs were taken by my mother's
cousin in Kurdistan, Iran, 1958-61. They were kept by my mother and
sent to me recently.
Arezoo, Artist living in New York City, April 1998.
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