Fou Gallery is pleased to present “Forces of Change and Memory” introducing new works by the artist Helia Chitsazan. This marks the second solo exhibition by the artist, coinciding with Fou Gallery's relocation to a new space. In this new setting, New York-based Iranian artist Helia Chitsazan invites us to explore the interplay between the dynamic forces of change and the enduring power of memory. Nina Chkareuli-Mdivani (she/her), a Georgian-born and New York-based curator, writer, and researcher, has been invited to curate this exhibition.

Memory and change often oppose one another, winds of change sweep away the time and the stasis it embodies. Chitsazan’s personal story of a recent immigrant trying to carve out an individual identity in the larger cultural and artistic American wilderness is related to both. And because memory takes on metaphoric meanings and is subjective by definition Chitsazan shows us the visual devices are most consequential to her. Breakdown of the third wall between an actor and the audience, masks as stand-ins for various identities, and micro-expressions as attempts to pin down what is slipping away – are all relevant to the artist, and characteristic of her works.