Anahita (Ani) Bradberry | Portfolio

آناهیتا Bradberry

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"Language of Fire" (2020)

24" x 30" x 5"
Exhibited in "Unbroken Chain" | Two Six Eight Space (NYC)

The forms took shape through improvisation over the flames, twisting the 11mm glass into soft loops. The two ruby red tubes are filled with argon gas, creating a luminous hue of red with a jewel-like glow. Once illuminated, the pieces were arranged together to emphasize the calligraphic nature of the medium.

Variable height x 4’ x 2.5’
Neon, steel cables, wire, transformer, rubber caps, Persian rug.

Installed at the Washington Project for the Arts, DC

Loom is an architectural response to the limbo of feeling threatened within your home(land). A Persian rug from my childhood home lies on the floor and a red neon rectangle of the same dimensions floats overhead. I am Iranian-American, even if I feel as though this part of myself is still developing, and the piece is meant to encourage people who may not experience this existential threat to stand under the red aura.

This piece is displayed in the exhibition "Now More Than Ever" at the Washington Project for the Arts in Washington, DC.

Variable height x 4’ x 2.5’
Neon, steel cables, wire, transformer, rubber caps, Persian rug.

Installed at the Washington Project for the Arts, DC

Loom is an architectural response to the limbo of feeling threatened within your home(land). A Persian rug from my childhood home lies on the floor and a red neon rectangle of the same dimensions floats overhead. I am Iranian-American, even if I feel as though this part of myself is still developing, and the piece is meant to encourage people who may not experience this existential threat to stand under the red aura.

This piece is displayed in the exhibition "Now More Than Ever" at the Washington Project for the Arts in Washington, DC.

"Surface Tension" (2018)

Variable height x 10” x 10”
Argon, glass, transformer, wire, rubber caps, acrylic, water.

Installed at George Washington University's Gallery 102, Washington, DC.

Floating and sinking are sensations that are often difficult to differentiate. Surface Tension refers to the state that lies in the space in between — a dangerous suspension within uncertainty. Surface Tension is alive, pulsing with limited energy, experiencing a pull from all sides. The entry point into the nebulous liquid is elastic, close enough to touch. The faces that surround the scenario appear clear, yet the liquid holds only illusion at all angles when gazing from the outside. The luminous path is refracted in all directions, speaking many different languages. The light itself is a reaction: the result of forced power through a closed system. Thousands of volts hang peacefully at the mercy of a single line, safe only until the live wire touches the water. This destructive potential energy defines the chaotic experience in the aftermath of war and conflict. Despite the vulnerability as it hangs by a thread, Surface Tension offers comfort within an ocean of risk. We watch the vessel from dry land and try to determine if the water holds the form up or draws it deeper.

"Surface Tension" (2018)

Variable height x 10” x 10”
Argon, glass, transformer, wire, rubber caps, acrylic, water.

Installed at George Washington University's Gallery 102, Washington, DC.

Floating and sinking are sensations that are often difficult to differentiate. Surface Tension refers to the state that lies in the space in between — a dangerous suspension within uncertainty. Surface Tension is alive, pulsing with limited energy, experiencing a pull from all sides. The entry point into the nebulous liquid is elastic, close enough to touch. The faces that surround the scenario appear clear, yet the liquid holds only illusion at all angles when gazing from the outside. The luminous path is refracted in all directions, speaking many different languages. The light itself is a reaction: the result of forced power through a closed system. Thousands of volts hang peacefully at the mercy of a single line, safe only until the live wire touches the water. This destructive potential energy defines the chaotic experience in the aftermath of war and conflict. Despite the vulnerability as it hangs by a thread, Surface Tension offers comfort within an ocean of risk. We watch the vessel from dry land and try to determine if the water holds the form up or draws it deeper.

"Nevermind, Azizam" exhibition co-curated with Rex Delafkaran

Shown at Transformer, DC.
http://www.transformerdc.org/exhibitions/overview/exhibition-nevermind-azizam

Entering the room, indistinguishable combinations of saffron, Chanel No. 5 and black tea steep into the senses. Dole out the kisses to every cheek in the room. Catch the occasional salaam and khoshgel. Never quite understood or understanding, never quite the same, the ethnic friend, the American grandchild.

We are our own Others. We are troubled by the simultaneously intimate and unfamiliar facets of our family histories. This identity is defined by its fluctuation and intensely unique individual experience.

We are inexplicably in love with traditions that lie under lenses of our families and our countries. Both of our motherlands float at odds with one another, separated by an ocean of fear and mistrust. Within this tension, we are both horrified and strengthened by the myths. Exotification and fetishization have shaped our lives, and the myths become as vivid and slippery as the goldfish on nowruz. Our adolescence is embedded in the joy and anxiety of language. Rich with symbols, smells, textures and tastes, our shared experiences are pure poetry. We all know the sensations of gracious apologies and tart affection.

- Text by Ani Bradberry & Rex Delafkaran

"Azizam" & "Wives and Daughters" (2017)

Installed at Transformer, Washington, DC, for "Nevermind, Azizam."
http://www.transformerdc.org/exhibitions/overview/exhibition-nevermind-azizam

Entering the room, indistinguishable combinations of saffron, Chanel No. 5 and black tea steep into the senses. Dole out the kisses to every cheek in the room. Catch the occasional salaam and khoshgel. Never quite understood or understanding, never quite the same, the ethnic friend, the American grandchild.

We are our own Others. We are troubled by the simultaneously intimate and unfamiliar facets of our family histories. This identity is defined by its fluctuation and intensely unique individual experience.

We are inexplicably in love with traditions that lie under lenses of our families and our countries. Both of our motherlands float at odds with one another, separated by an ocean of fear and mistrust. Within this tension, we are both horrified and strengthened by the myths. Exotification and fetishization have shaped our lives, and the myths become as vivid and slippery as the goldfish on nowruz. Our adolescence is embedded in the joy and anxiety of language. Rich with symbols, smells, textures and tastes, our shared experiences are pure poetry. We all know the sensations of gracious apologies and tart affection.

- Text by Ani Bradberry & Rex Delafkaran

"Veins" (2018)—collaborative piece with Rex Delafkaran, Transformer, DC

Variable height x 14" x 2"
Installed at Transformer, Washington, DC, for "Nevermind, Azizam."
http://www.transformerdc.org/exhibitions/overview/exhibition-nevermind-azizam

Entering the room, indistinguishable combinations of saffron, Chanel No. 5 and black tea steep into the senses. Dole out the kisses to every cheek in the room. Catch the occasional salaam and khoshgel. Never quite understood or understanding, never quite the same, the ethnic friend, the American grandchild.

We are our own Others. We are troubled by the simultaneously intimate and unfamiliar facets of our family histories. This identity is defined by its fluctuation and intensely unique individual experience.

We are inexplicably in love with traditions that lie under lenses of our families and our countries. Both of our motherlands float at odds with one another, separated by an ocean of fear and mistrust. Within this tension, we are both horrified and strengthened by the myths. Exotification and fetishization have shaped our lives, and the myths become as vivid and slippery as the goldfish on nowruz. Our adolescence is embedded in the joy and anxiety of language. Rich with symbols, smells, textures and tastes, our shared experiences are pure poetry. We all know the sensations of gracious apologies and tart affection.

- Text by Ani Bradberry & Rex Delafkaran

"Azizam" (2018) shown with Sheida Soleimani's "Sakineh" (2015)

8" x 24" x 3"
Installed at Transformer, Washington, DC, for "Nevermind, Azizam."
http://www.transformerdc.org/exhibitions/overview/exhibition-nevermind-azizam

Entering the room, indistinguishable combinations of saffron, Chanel No. 5 and black tea steep into the senses. Dole out the kisses to every cheek in the room. Catch the occasional salaam and khoshgel. Never quite understood or understanding, never quite the same, the ethnic friend, the American grandchild.

We are our own Others. We are troubled by the simultaneously intimate and unfamiliar facets of our family histories. This identity is defined by its fluctuation and intensely unique individual experience.

We are inexplicably in love with traditions that lie under lenses of our families and our countries. Both of our motherlands float at odds with one another, separated by an ocean of fear and mistrust. Within this tension, we are both horrified and strengthened by the myths. Exotification and fetishization have shaped our lives, and the myths become as vivid and slippery as the goldfish on nowruz. Our adolescence is embedded in the joy and anxiety of language. Rich with symbols, smells, textures and tastes, our shared experiences are pure poetry. We all know the sensations of gracious apologies and tart affection.

- Text by Ani Bradberry & Rex Delafkaran

"Preventative Patrol" (2017)

9' x 21' x 2"
Installed at VisArts, Rockville, MD, for "Cultural Platforms for Resistance."

Preventative Patrol consists of two blue neon tubes that represent the unblinking blue lights on Metropolitan Police Department vehicles in Washington, DC. Former Police Chief Ramsey implemented them after meeting with the Israeli Defense Forces and they are officially an attempt to raise the visibility of the police in communities and deter “would-be criminals.” But the lights remind even innocent residents that they are constantly being watched and are in the presence of heavily armed police forces.