“Lightness of Being”

In what he calls “gentle civic disruptions,” Darvish channels his influences and inspirations to challenge our preconceived notions of culture and tolerance in performance work that strikes viewers and passersby with its surrealism, humor, and optimism. The guerrilla nature of such work is meant to disrupt the daily movement of our lives.

These photos are part of an ongoing series called “Lightness of Being” with award winning photographer Hugh Fox.

Darvish’s ‘Flying Carpet’ is a performance piece inspired by dreams of flying, while also highlighting the absurdity of cultural stereotyping. It’s yet another way he allows the Occidentalist to sleep with his Orientalist.

*This Voice of America clip was filmed during the Armory Show in NY, 2012 where he was exhibiting with London based gallery, Edge of Arabia.