SuperNova

SuperNova, Digital Video, 2018, various iterations SuperNova is a talent show parody that consists of seven characters in which I perform. The performers are Oreo, Fatimeh, and Coco and each of their acts examine issues of race and ethnic performance; Oreo performs a magic trick with a deck of white “race cards,” Fatimeh sings and …

Ethnic Roots

Ethnic Roots is a parody that blends film noir and the format of DIY youtube tutorials. “Oreo” performs as a femme fatale and reflects on an encounter with a detective who attempts to guess her ethnicity. Oreo believes it is her “ethnic roots” referring to her hair roots that has “given her away.” Oreo introduces …

Oreo’s Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/oreo_liveitwhite/?hl=en      

Dear Sister

The documentary is about five sisters that reunite in Istanbul after 27 years. The personal and political merge together while the conversations of these long-time separated sisters reflect on the past and memory: war, life in exile, immigration, and activism are topics unravelled in this sensitive cinematic encounter. Die Dokumentation handelt von fünf Schwestern, die …

Absence and Representation: Pantone Matching Project, Art Fair Suomi, Helsinki, Finland, 2015

Rah started this work as a solo performance “NW25” (Neutral Warm 25) for Process 9 at Artscape Youngplace in Toronto. Rah was invited by MUU Gallery in Finland to create a performance for Art Fair Suomi. The one-hour performance involved several female collaborators and each woman had the numerical code of their skin tone based …

Oriental Dance Workshop, Coalesce, Carleton University Art Gallery, Ottawa, 2015

The Oriental Dance Workshop was performed by Rah’s character  Fatimeh. This workshop has been performed at the Women’s Studio Workshop in Rosendale, NY (August 2015), Carleton University Art Gallery, Ottawa (September 2015) and Nuit Blanche Montreal ( February 2016). Fatimeh is an accessible character and she uses comedy to lure the participant while confronting them …

Refugees Welcome, Preview Version, 3 Channel Video, Studio Das Weisse Haus, Vienna, Austria, 2014

      “Refugees Welcome” is a three channel video installation that addresses the complex experiences of LGBT Iranian expats and refugees living in Vienna. The first video of three shows the collaborators prior to the interview. Rah is seen syncing the camera and the audio, meanwhile the camera captures a poignant psychological state of …

Ululation, Excerpt, 6 hour Durational Performance, Toronto, ON, 2014

“Ululation” was a six-hour durational performance performed at Xpace Cultural Centre in Toronto, ON in March 2013. The performer was dressed in traditional Iranian clothing often worn in the northern regions of Iran. This traditional dress has many layers including: a vest, blouse, skirt, pants and head garment. The performer rolled in and out of  …