SHIFT: Sadegh Aleahmad

In this film, Aleahmad shares his applications of the discourse of 'Decolonisation of Mind', particularly in his teaching practice within primary schools. Drawing from his PhD research into colonisation, Aleahmad sees education as one of the primary sites where conflict against conditioning forces of power takes place. 

His teaching practice consists of holding art workshops for adults and children where dominant meanings and established value systems can be dismantled through art-making and games.

Focusing on his work with primary school children, Aleahmad describes how he introduces games as a framework where children feel safe to reassess their relationships to agents of power, including to himself as teacher.

By fostering a safe and child-led environment, Aleahmad facilitates opportunities for art-making through play, whereby children are able to explore materials and objects without a predetermined aim and, in doing so, deconstruct established meanings and power relations.

Sadegh Aleahmad is a London-based, Iranian-born artist who examines the construction of his diasporic identity through performance, sculpture, poetry, moving image and photography.

His work de-territorialises various Islamic disciplines, detaching them from their personal, religious and socio-political connotations, fusing them with the aesthetics and ethics of Western contemporary art-making. 
 
Sadegh’s research explores the connotations and applications of mirrors and visual displacement through the lens of Islamic discipline and Western culture. His practice focuses on solo work and community collaborations.

This film is part of SHIFT, Freelands Foundation’s quarterly series of short films spotlighting varied practices, approaches and philosophies within art education. 

Captions and editing: Sixbetween.

All audiovisual material and research is courtesy of the artist.