Mississauga, ON – May 29, 2024
by Lejla Pepeljak
Now until the end of the month at Square One mall you will find Hafez Inspired Me right by the old movie theatre entrance. Curated by Hibah Mian, this display features a series of photographs by Ailin Mirlashari.
The vibrant photographs taken between 2018-2021 feature a range of people, places and experiences. They are blown up to a very large and comfortable scale that takes up a decent amount of space in the busy corridor of Square One. Some shots exist also in video format, such as Shah Soltan (2021), which features the tribal language of the Sistani group.
This is Aileen’s first international exhibit and curator Hibah hopes that people gain a sense of reflection and connection to the photographs by mindfully considering them as they stroll through the mall. The accessibility of these photographs encourages cultural exchange and engagement through its visual themes and topics.
“Mirlashari delves into collective experiences, seamlessly weaving together themes that both disturb and declare love.”
-Contact Festival
Ailin Mirlashari is a Swedish-born artist who works with video, curation, installation, textile and photography. Ailin is also a social worker which shapes her views and experiences with art making. This duality in her artwork is also more apparent in her dual cultural upbringing physically, geographically and philosophically. In the photos you can see the diversity through the photographs, juxtaposed with a variety of backgrounds in Sweden and abroad.
Curator Hibah Mian, experiments with community co-creation and transforming white spaces just like the Square One corridor while also considering diversity and cultural innovation. In this display, Hibah mentions connecting with Ailin during the pandemic and being drawn to her way of storytelling. She saw Square One as the perfect place to showcase her work because the heavy foot traffic would naturally lend to a diverse audience. “Ailin’s imagery resonates with every person that walks by. It just worked so well” Hibah mentions. Hibah has worked with UrbanArts, Artscape, Mississauga Arts Council, Visual Arts Mississauga, Manifesto Festival, The City of Toronto and more.
If you are walking around Square One this week, be sure to check out the corridor on the second floor!
For more information about the festival click HERE.
For more information about Hibah click HERE.
For more information about Ailin click HERE.
