inspection. a country’s power and wealth isreflected in the design of their passports andthe stamps.

In 2005 I bought a genuine Secret Servicemembers passport from the Nazi era includingsome personal letters and other ID papers and Ifound it fascinating to own such an object. Ithen started collecting expired and usedpassports and now I own over one hundredpassports from as early as 1920’s until veryrecent documents, either given to me by theholder or by purchasing them. In particular, Ifind the series of chronologically expiredpassports of an individual interesting as itclearly shows them aging.

PW: The slogans from 50s America ad

campaigns that you have stamped onto the

photos are at odds with the sitters in the

portraits. Was your intention to question

perception; how we see ourselves and how

others see us?

SS: Yes. I think the text jarring against theportrait is thought provoking and can behumorous. It can also act as a social criticism orscrutiny through humour, which is very effective.I am interested in advertising because asadvertising kicked off in post-war America thechoice of language to convey specificmessages was often sexist, dogmatic andgenerally problematic – (I am certain in thefuture we will feel the same about today’s

marketing language as it is still very sexist). Ifind these texts can be used to set up aninteresting narrative that is both playful andcritical.

Of course, the text makes one question theperception of a narrative set up by myself but Ido not always stamp a passport, as with theNazi passport, because I feel sometimes theportraits are enough.

I intend for the slogans to be related to thepolitics of the nationality of the passport.

PW: Passport photos have become

increasingly uniform and standardised while

your series celebrates individuality and

encourages viewers to speculate about

these unknown lives. Can you tell us more

about these themes of fictional narratives

and identity in your practice?

SS: We judge and are judged by our nationalityand a portrait within the context of a nationalityadds an interesting layer to our perception. Soby adding the text, which the viewer has todiscover, I create an extra layer of narrative thatis open to viewer’s own interpretations. Theviewer may realise the text comes fromadvertising slogans or see it as dictum officiallyendorsed by the government of the said county.I find portraits generally hold so muchinformation and we naturally speculate aboutthe sitter but passport and ID cards gives us

extra narrative with the addition of personalinformation.

Since 9/11 passports are issued per individualas the concept of identity politics and the powerof government over us increases, but ultimatelythese documents will eventually be replaced bydigital information and the paper documents willbecome obsolete.

PW: In your series Hoochie Coochie Man,

you take hand coloured photographs from

your father’s modelling career and embellish

them further. Can you tell us more about

layering meaning onto the photographs and

how this alter the reading of the

photographs?

SS: My father’s image reflects the identitypolitics of the Iranian people during the Pahlaviregime. In 1935 Reza Shah Pahlavi, inspired bythe modernisation policies of Atta Turk inTurkey, introduced many social, economic, andpolitical reforms – one of which was to imposeWestern style clothes on men and women inIran.

My father’s modeling career dates from mid1950’s to late 60’s where, due to lack ofmodeling know-how, he acted out charactersfrom Hollywood movies as reference for eachpose. At the back of each photograph in pencilthere is his name followed by the name of therelevant actor i.e. Ali-Mohammad as James

Dean. During this time many Iranians werebeginning to copy Western style clothing but,like my father, they were looking at the Westthrough the lens of Hollywood and oftenmisjudged or misunderstood the codes ofWestern fashion.

For some people the adjustment of their identityto a foreign construct was quite difficulteconomically as well as ideologically, whichthey saw as autocratic. So I guess theseportraits are already loaded with so muchhistory and they become a valuable source formy art as I paint from them or enhance themwith a narrative that is often in the wallpaper.

PW: Can you tell us what you have coming

up next?

SS: Jerwood Drawing Prize 2015, JerwoodSpace. 16 September – 25 October, 2015 andthen touring UK until June 2016.

Solo exhibition Boogie Wonderland at KristinHjellegjerde Gallery, London. 15 October -14November, 2015.

Champagne Life, group exhibition, SaatchiGallery, Nov 2015.

London Art Fair, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery. 20-24 January 2016.

See here for more of Sokheila’s work.

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