Ava makenali
Shotor
Project Statement
This piece is part of a larger project, entitled Shotor (meaning camel in Farsi), that is an experimental and architectonic installation of camels supplemented by additional sculpture and performance. It is inspired by the Persian idiom Kineh Shotori, meaning “to hold a grudge like a camel.” Camels, though not belligerent or predatory in nature, hold grudges and seek revenge against those who have wronged them.
The camels, made out of cardboard and fabric, are usually disassembled and placed throughout the gallery during the performance. Fragmented camel heads and humps will be stacked on top of each other like rocks, creating an environment of sorts. In a machine-powered type of performance, a lone camel leg with its animated eyes gently kicks things away symbolically. A small papier-mache polar bear sculpture will sit somewhere on this structure of camel parts, representing the “white bear problem”: a process by which an individual actively tries not to think about something and, in doing so, actually makes the thought resurface.
For Makenali, the camel signifies the evil version of herself who seeks revenge on those who have hurt her, naming this version as “The Eastern Evil Ava” who exists in consideration of her relationship with the West. Identifying as a camel, Makenali shows her emotive and meticulous side as “an eccentric person interested in makeup, clothing, and art: all things my country and its government and culture strongly rejected.” Such rejection would only deepen her feelings of heartbreak and isolation.
Using the repetitive creation of camels for this project, Makenali asks herself the question, “Am I becoming more like a camel, or is a camel becoming more me?” Through these animals, Makenali playfully confronts those who have wronged her and occupy her mind, molding her hardships into stuffed animals; by doing so she hopes to show that she does not take anything too seriously.
Artist Biography
Ava Makenali is a Persian interdisciplinary artist from Iran, who identifies as a camel. She was inspired to become a camel by the Persian idiom Kineh Shotori meaning “to hold a grudge like a camel.” She uses her camel identity alongside animal symbolism to tell the story of her artworks and metaphorically plot revenge against those who have wronged her in her human form. Her work consist of installations that incorporate drawing, soft sculpture, video art, sound, and photography.
Makenali received her MFA in Visual Studies from Columbia College Chicago, her Associate in Architecture from Politecnico Di Milano, and her BA in Art and Architecture from Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch.