REFLECTION AND DIALOGUE: Mum of two Nadia has been involved in the exhibition What We Hold We Carry
A deeply moving visual arts exhibition co-created with a group of Iranian women who have lived experience of seeking sanctuary is on show at a Glasgow gallery.
The Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival is presenting the exhibition We Hold What We Carry, until November 15, at the Intermedia Gallery, CCA Glasgow, inviting audiences into a space of care, reflection and dialogue.
Using storytelling, video, found objects and installation, We Hold What We Carry surfaces memories that speak to the fragility and tension of living between places.
It explores themes of trauma, resilience, and identity, asking how we carry our experiences and how art and community can help us reimagine belonging across borders and differences.
The exhibition has been developed through the Mental Health Foundation’s Elevate project and the Hope campaign, both of which work to ensure that people seeking sanctuary are meaningfully involved in shaping the decisions that affect their lives.
It is presented as part of the 2025 Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival in response to this year’s theme, Comfort and Disturb.
The project created and coordinated by Maryam Razeghian in close collaboration with participants, whose voices and experiences are at the heart of the work and led by artist and curator Paria M. Goodarzi.
One of the participants is Nadia, who has lived in Scotland with her two daughters for 11 years.
Getting involved in this project allowed her to reconnect with art that she used to do many years ago.
Nadia said: “The artwork I helped create is inspired by the lotus flower which you can find in the north of Iran.
The flower represents strengths, resilience, and the ability to thrive in the most difficult circumstances.
There is much we can learn from the lotus which comes out of misery and hopelessness in such a beautiful, hopeful way.
“Getting involved in this project has really helped me to express myself and talk about my feelings.
“Through the art and the symbols, we can better understand ourselves and how we’re feeling.”
Roya worked in tailoring for many years and now, having lived in Scotland for five years, she collaborates with various artists.
For the We Hold What We Carry exhibition she created four bold coloured textile artworks representing the human spirit and various emotions that we can all feel.
Roya said: “My artwork is exploring the different representations of the human spirit within each of us but especially for people who have faced the hardship of having to leave their homes, their families, and all they have known to seek sanctuary in another country.
“It honours the struggles that people have faced and how they have become stronger on the journey.
“Art helps us to see how we are all alike. I’ve lived in Glasgow for five years and I love it.
“It is different but many things are the same – there is a river like I had in my hometown, and the people are lovely and very friendly. The main difference is the weather!”
Visit the What We Hold We Carry exhibition at the Intermedia Gallery in the CCA, Glasgow until Sunday, November 15. More information at www.mhfestival.com
Location: Glasgow