The Edge of Shadows

Opening Reception: May 4 | 6 – 9pm | Artist Talk at 7 PM

In collaboration with Columbia College Chicago and Heartland Alliance, Filter Photo is pleased to announce The Edge of Shadows, a solo exhibition of work by Anahid Ghorbani, at Filter Space gallery.

The 2017/2018 Diane Dammeyer Fellowship recipient Anahid Ghorbani presents a culminating work, The Edge of Shadows, exploring issues of oppression, restriction of rights, the contradictory fears of visibility and invisibility faced by immigrants and refugees. Ghorbani makes the invisible visible concerning this marginalized group, showcasing the collaborative art she created with participants at Heartland Alliance, an international social service organization, and leader in anti-poverty initiatives.

Moving beyond being solely an observer, Ghorbani creates metaphors that speak to the heart of the dehumanization of refugees and immigrant experiences. She uses black as a visual metaphor for the suppression of the individual, using the absence of light as an indicator of the inability of refugees and immigrants to be recognized as human beings, with hopes, dreams, and rights. She invites her audience into layers of meaning by using poetic visual language to create forums for open discussion around these issues, with the goal of shining a light on the very real struggles these people engage with on a daily basis. She invites the viewer to not just understand the outrage, but to also inspire people to begin to think in new, more inclusive ways, inspired to reach across divides that now separate us.

The Diane Dammeyer Fellowship in Photographic Arts and Social Issues provides an opportunity for a socially engaged photographer to produce a compelling and dynamic body of work highlighting human rights and social issues. The Fellow shares time between Columbia College Chicago and Heartland Alliance, one of the world’s leading anti-poverty organizations, working in communities in the U.S. and abroad to serve those who are homeless, living in poverty, or seeking safety.

About the Artist:
Anahid Ghorbani received her MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago in 2017 and her BA in 2012 from Tehran University of Art in Iran. Engaged with creating site-specific installations that utilize photography and video, her goal is to engage, inform and invite dialogue around human rights. She has been included in exhibitions at the Tehran University of Art Gallery (2010, 2012), the Caroun Art Gallery, Vancouver (2014), The Center for Fine Art Photography, Colorado (2017) among others. She is the recipient of the Graduate Merit award, the Albert P. Weisman Award and the Diane Dammeyer Fellowship in Photographic Arts and Social Issues.