Presented by The PETAL Project and GDAC:
Join us for a pop-up show and artist talk with photographer and documentary filmmaker Vahid Valikhani, whose work bridges photography and film to examine social, cultural, and historical dynamics through the lens of landscape.
Vahid’s photographic practice began with documenting constructed, altered, and often overlooked landscapes. His projects investigate the relationship among the environment, society, and the state, revealing how landscapes become sites of political agendas, consumerism, and environmental consequences. Shaped by experiences of displacement and adaptation, his cross-cultural perspective informs an ongoing exploration of belonging and the political dimensions of place. Reflecting on his approach, Vahid notes: “My creative process has been reshaped by displacement, politics, and cultural expectations. Photography became not only a way of navigating unfamiliar surroundings, but also a tool to process the cultural and social aspects of the place I inhabit.”
Vahid is the author of the monograph Nebraska, Tampa: The Return to the Streets (Tavaali Publication, 2025) and currently serves as Director of the Beatrice M. Haggerty Gallery at the University of Dallas. At the event, guests will have the opportunity to view selected works from his series Forms of Light, Elegies, and The Othered Eye, which reflect his sustained engagement with environmental and cultural narratives.