rūḥ al-rūḥ – jan-e janān: West Space, Melbourne
Queers Were Here Before They Arrived, 2025
Hand-cut mirrors, silicone on Aluminium Di Bond, pink grout,
172 x 80 x 3 cm
commissioned as part of rūḥ al-rūḥ – jan-e janān, 2025, West Space, Melbourne. Photograph by Simon Strong
Ali Tahayori
15 Nov 2025 - 31 Jan 2026
West Space presents a new exhibition by four artists from the Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region reflecting on their shared experience as ‘outsiders’ in Australia.
rūḥ al-rūḥ – jan-e janān brings together artists Elyas Alavi, Ayman Kaake, Ali Tahayori, and Kia Zand, each with anchors to West and Central Asia, to assemble their queer identities as testimony.
Soul of the Soul / جان ِ جانان / روح الروح marks the first time the four artists will show alongside one another and will be the outcome of a collaborative process over eighteen months. Through the development and presentation of this exhibition and its accompanying programs, the artists build new connections and focus on what it is to be a migrant queer person of SWANA background at this point in history.
Artists: Elyas Alavi, Ayman Kaake, Ali Tahayori and Kia Zand
West Space, Melbourne
Collingwood Yards, 30 Perry St, Collingwood VIC