The break in our shape takes on the qanat, a traditional Iranian water infrastructure, as a point of departure to explore nonhierarchical relationality, land and displacement, and sexual politics.

Geologically, Iran is the meeting point between desert and mountain belts. This renders much of the country uninhabitable, as there are no accessible routes to a water source. A qanat is an underground system of tunnels and aquifers built by the indigenous peoples of this region as a way to direct existing groundwater below the mountain range to the surface of the desert – thus generating an environmentally non-intrusive, reliable supply of water for human settlements.

Each video studies the qanat within a specific context, from the geological conditions, to the transnational migration of the technology, and bodies and sexual dynamics. The ceramic pieces mirror contorted fragments of tunnels that veer into bodily shapes and beings, and embody the dualities that exist in the videos. Collectively, the videos and sculptures present a portrait of the simultaneous ways in which we succeed and fail to exist together.

Special thanks to Ana Paula Santana, Negar Sanaan Bensi, Majid Labbaf Khaneiki, Manuel Delgado and Osvaldo Andrade.

The break in our shape was on display in the Main Gallery from January 21, 2023 to March 11, 2023.