“Doors I Have Forgotten to Lock” explores the relentless verbs and activities that shape our daily lives, each represented by a key tag adorned with one of 11 gerunds—finding, living, leaving, sleeping, searching, running, staying, crying, returning, joining, and passing—printed in vibrant colours. Each gerund is presented in my mother language, Farsi.

The tags are affixed to separate cork boards, arranged in unique sequences that weave short stories. One narrative reveals a journey through crisis: you have cried, stayed, passed, and then left. In another, a new chapter begins with the simple act of leaving. Each sequence captures the ebb and flow of our experiences, reflecting how one moment can lead seamlessly into another.

These gerunds represent the struggles I’ve faced during my time away from home. I often find myself grappling with these actions, each evoking a distinct memory. The tags, with their tactile charms and vivid hues, serve as both a subtle reminder and an expression of sympathy. Visitors are encouraged to take one or more key tags with them.

Each key while symbolizing our endurance through recurring pains is a small gesture meant to give us an illusion of control over passages or doors that link us to past and present—something we rarely have in reality, granting us a quasi-ownership, an illusion of control.

Doors I have forgotten to lock, 110 key tags, Adhesive paper, Key charms, Cork board, Dimensions vary  (2024, Courtesy of the artist)