What Survives Translation
The series begins with Farsi expressions that describe emotional and relational experience—phrases so embedded in everyday speech that their imagery often goes unnoticed. Zadeh translates these expressions literally into sculpture, giving physical form to the language through which experience is understood. Each work asks what survives in translation: whether an emotion embedded in a particular language and culture can still be recognized when encountered as form, material, and movement. Together, the works draw on the poetic nature of Farsi to offer a quieter, more intimate encounter with Persian culture—one shaped by connection rather than conflict.
Az Cheshmam Oftad
از چشمم افتاد — "He/she fell from my eyes"
Cardboard, wood, oil paint, 48×53 in, 2026
In Farsi, this phrase describes the moment someone loses your admiration or respect. Zadeh renders the idiom literally: a figure caught mid-fall from the eye itself, the instant a shift in perception becomes physical distance—a quiet, internal change most people never see happen.
Harf Meebafeh
حرف میبافه — "He/she is knitting words"
Wood, yarn, oil paint, 48 × 63 in, 2026
In Farsi, harf meebafeh is said of someone whose words cannot quite be trusted—someone weaving together what another person wants to hear. But the words are not always lies. A promise can be sincere in the moment and still prove unable to hold its weight over time. Zadeh renders the idiom literally, giving physical form to the early language of intimacy and devotion, and material weight to words whose meaning may ultimately carry none.
Doret Meegardam
دورت میگردم — "I orbit around you"
Wood, oil paint, custom motor mechanism, 2026
In Farsi, doret meegardam is an expression of deep affection and devotion—being so taken with someone that you would, quite literally, circle around them. Zadeh turns the expression into sustained physical action: a suspended male figure continuously orbits a stationary female figure. What is spoken as affection becomes an act repeated through time, with one body making the other the center of its movement.
What Survives Translation is an ongoing series, with additional sculptural works currently in development.
For inquiries or to learn more about this series, contact Zadeh directly