“We Were Only Kids”

The installation "We Were Only Kids" draws deeply from artist Badri Valian’s personal experiences growing up. Born in Iran in 1977, just before the Islamic Revolution, Badri’s early years were marked by a tumultuous mix of joy and sorrow, beauty and ugliness, peace and war. Amidst this chaos, she had no choice but to grow and move forward.

Badri’s hometown lay at the foothills of the Alborz mountains in northern Iran. Her family, modestly religious, lived through the seismic changes of their era. Badri’s mother, of Kurdish ethnicity, was displaced decades ago due to ethnic cleansing, carrying lifelong severe depression. Badri cannot recall a single day when her mother smiled. The depression later manifested as severe psychosomatic muscle spasms, leading to frequent hospitalizations and a preference for the refuge of sleep.

During Badri’s childhood, Iran was embroiled in the Iran-Iraq War, which lasted eight years and claimed countless lives, including those of her relatives. Her favorite cousin, Manooch, who introduced her to photography, was severely injured by a landmine, and another relative, Hoseein, was killed on the front lines. These experiences thrust Badri into a harsh reality at the tender age of seven.

As Western sanctions exacerbated the struggles of daily life, depression, radical ideologies, superstition, drug addiction, and rage became rampant in Iranian society. The government’s provision of opium and radical rhetoric served as temporary escapes for many, including Badri’s mother, who, overwhelmed by reality, neglected Badri and her three younger sisters.

Elements of the Installation:

1. Large-Scale Painting:

This painting features figures from family photographs taken by Manooch during Badri’s childhood. It explores the dynamics between adults and children in the 1980s, particularly during the Iran-Iraq War, highlighting the impact of adult depression, religious parenting intertwined with superstition and radicalism, and the emphasis on drugs and rage. The prominent pink color honors the vivid hues banned for girls by the Islamist government for being "provocative."

2. Pink Woven Yarns:

These yarns, knitted by Badri’s mother during their weekend conversations, symbolize their bond and shared memories. Each yarn is 22 inches long, representing the length of the umbilical cord and the distance that has grown between them over the years. These conversations help bridge the emotional and physical gap that time and circumstances have created.

3. Hanging Stuffed-Animal:

A symbolic representation of Manooch, this stuffed-animal adds him to the family photo archives where he was always absent as the photographer. It witnesses the distortion and reconstruction of his photographs, embodying his traumatic war injuries and the subsequent loss of his legs at 18.

Badri was only nine when she was forced to wear the mandatory hijab, which stifled her childhood freedom. "We Were Only Kids" is a poignant reflection on lost innocence and the heavy burdens placed on young shoulders during times of turmoil.