Curated by Joseph Del Pesco (US) and Sohrab Kashani (Iran)

Six artist videos, presented in three pairs, each stand alone, yet they are linked by the use of extra-diegetic audio - a layer beyond the sound that syncs up with what we see. One of the most prevalent examples of this added layer is the voice of the narrator, which is often used as an expository accompaniment, supporting the narrative in cinema. However, in these videos, the voice-over has been reimagined as a vehicle for interpretation and reflection, questions and provocations. The speaker who is heard as voice-over is never seen, and the language is suggestive of a complex and at times abstract inner world.

Each pair brought together an American and an Iranian artist, echoing the bi-location of Sazmanab's exhibition venue in Tehran, and its mirror in The Other Apartment at the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh. While the pairs were presented without thematic labels, close attention reveals associations between each duo; a description of the activities of a single person, mythological atmospheres, and a weaving of poetic rhythm and visual memory.

Artists included Morehshin Allahyari, Alex Da Corte, Arash Fayez, Sara Magenheimer, Siavash Naghshbandi, and Beatriz Santiago Muñoz.

VIDEOS AND ARTISTS:

First pair: Daily Life of Human (2019) by Siavash Naghshbandi (Iran) and Slow Graffiti (2017) by Alex Da Corte (United States)

Second pair: She Who Sees the Unknown: Huma (2016) by Morehshin Allahyari (Iran) and La cabeza mató a todos (The Head that Killed Everyone) (2014) by Beatriz Santiago Muñoz (Puerto Rico)

Third pair: Three, Rather Than Two (or One) (2019) by Arash Fayez (Iran) and Art and Theft (2017) by Sara Magenheimer (United States)

The exhibition was made possible with support from Creative Capital and Video Data Bank.