Friday Talk: New Art by UWA School of Design MFA students Elham Eshraghian-Haakansson and Sacha Barker

Friday 23 July, 1pm-2pm

Join UWA School of Design MFA students Sacha Barker and Elham Eshraghian-Haakansson to see and hear about their work and recent pieces in their MFA graduation exhibition.

Sacha Barker’s art embraces textile, sculpture and installation. Since her first major installation, Mindfield; the Sewing Seeds (2017), she has developed large site-specific installations that create a shared narrative with the viewer. A member of Western Australian Fibre and Textile Association (WAFTA), she has recently had work in the International Biennale Exhibition of Textile Art, Scythia. Authenticity, trust and tension permeate Sacha Barker’s research and creative practice. There is a commitment to human labour and rigorous technical experimentation. This presentation will focus on two works currently displayed in the MFA graduate exhibition at UWA’s Cullity Gallery: Untitled (rocks) (2017-2021) and There’s a saying among prospectors (2020).

Elham Eshraghian-Haakansson is an award-winning Iranian-Australian Bahá’í video artist, writer, director, producer and curator and has exhibited nationally and internationally. Her research navigates inherited stories and post-memory felt by her displaced community following the 1979 Revolution. Through the poetics of the moving image, she invites viewers to become the 'witness' rather than the 'passive bystander' inviting a critical discussion surrounding empathy, trust, custodianship, compassion, and social change in response to the current global social and political climate. Her practise values align to empower the voices of women within her art making. Working in community arts and collaborative social practice, Áshena, Bear Witness to Me (2021) examines empathy in film and poetry, uncovering ways to build identity in first and second generation Iranian- Australians and the Bahá’í community, to close the gaps in finding the universal threads of cultural, social, gender and heritage that unite us all.

Please note: in keeping with the University's guidelines, space is limited for this event and registration is required. Hand sanitiser will be available at the door and we ask that visitors check-in upon arrival and observe social distancing. If you are feeling unwell, please cancel your booking on Eventbrite or notify our staff at [email protected].

Image: Elham Eshraghian-Haakansson, Asha Kiani, Second Generation Collective, Áshená, Bear Witness To Me, 2021, multi-channel installation 4K video with sound, 25 minutes. Photographer: Annie Huang