Immigration - Nazila Jahangir

Immigration

Immigration is a collection of ten exquisite oil paintings on canvas by Nazila Jahangir, where she explores and narrates her journey of immigrating to Australia. Jahangir’s mastery of oil paint, combined with her unique storytelling approach to art-making, forms the foundation of this compelling new collection.

Immigration unfolds like an opera, told in ten distinct acts that intertwine external and internal scenes. The external acts are set against the vibrant backdrop of public open spaces across the Perth metropolitan area—from the lush gardens of the University of Western Australia to the tranquil shores of Herdsman Lake and Lake Monger; from the stately Parliament Hill to the picturesque Long Neck Marina. In her paintings, these familiar Perth landscapes come alive, evoking a sense of recognition and connection.

In contrast, the internal acts transport viewers to a more introspective realm, saturated with objects she brought from her homeland, Iran, to Australia. These cherished items—imbued with memory and meaning—anchor her work in a deeply personal narrative. Together, the external and internal scenes create a rich tapestry that metaphorically captures Jahangir’s immigration experience: a dual journey of navigating an unfamiliar external world while unravelling the mysteries of an evolving inner self. Through this duality, her art becomes a profound exploration of belonging, transformation, and identity.

Jahangir’s artistic approach in this series is rooted in realism. She has masterfully brought each scene to life through her exceptional skill with oil paint. However, realism for its own sake is never her sole ambition. In her work, realism serves as a gateway—a means to draw you in, closer and closer, until you are near enough to uncover the deeper, more profound story hidden within each painting.

Immigration is deeply personal work. Like any artist, the most personal subjects can feel like the scariest voids to confront—spaces within yourself that you’re unsure whether to touch or explore. Yet, in her paintings, Nazila Jahangir achieves a kind of transcendence, moving beyond the personal realm. She encounters her many selves within the worlds she creates, and that is the ultimate hope of any artist: to discover something recognisable within yourself, even in a story you have yet to meet fully.

Still, there must have been an element in her work that echoes a lingering question in the viewer’s mind: How far is this going to go? This tension—between the known and the unknown, the familiar and the uncanny—adds a compelling layer to her art, inviting viewers to reflect on their journeys of self-discovery and transformation.

Nazila Jahangir holds a Master’s in Fine Arts (Painting) from the University of Alzahra, Tehran (2011). Moving to Australia in 2019, she pursued a Master of Fine Arts (Research) at the University of Western Australia. In 2022, she won the National Emerging Artist Award at the Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize and held her first Australian solo exhibition, Forget-Me-Not, at UWA. Her work was showcased on Perth’s Yagan Square Digital Tower, receiving widespread acclaim.