This multidisciplinary event showcases artists of Iranian origin, reflecting on the complex experiences of their own or their parent’s exile in so-called Western countries.
DAY: Collective Cooking Workshop: In our restaurant, a small group will engage in the communal act of cooking.
EVENING: The evening will take place in all our spaces with different thematics

در پیشگاه خوراک؛ درنگی بر سنت پخت و پزگروهی در ایران
In the presence of food, a contemplation on the tradition of group cooking in Iran
By: Maryam Alinejad Ebrahim

**Aush Reshte **is a type of thick noodle soup with a thousand years of history in Iran. This food holds a central place in collective cooking, which was mostly led by women or under their supervision. Collective cooking, driven by religious and ritual reasons, holds strong motives that have made it an enduring tradition. For hundreds of years, Iranians have been exploring and enhancing their social connection through collective culinary activity which represents the democratic approach of their life, as well as their mentality. Intimicy, and care (Mosahebat and Moasherat) are some of key points embodied in the collective cooking. They found out that food, as a fundamental aspect of life, can potentially create opportunities for solidarity, generosity, care, support, and, last but not least, resilience.

During this event, 8 to 10 people gather to explore this tradition in various and divergent contexts. Every participant contributes to the cooking. The entire food preparation process, its history, and how is represented in the language will be explained. Contemplation (Taamol) is the key word in this activity. How Taamol was explained and practiced through cooking will be explored. The entire cooking process takes about 4 to 6 hours. The activity involves sitting on the ground around what is called a Sofreh, which is a cloth for placing the food while making or eating it. The artist Maryam Alinejad is providing it which is a handmade cloth with embroidered pattern. The Sofreh provides a sense of connection and intimacy. Sofreh itself has a definition and character which also will be discussed with the participants. Some pieces of cloth are available for participants to write or draw on regarding the whole experience. Later these pieces with text or drawings will be sewed on to preserve the designs.

Organised by Maryam Alinejad Ebrahim x les Complices *

Maryam Alinejad Ebrahim : Maryam Alinejad Ebrahim was born 1981 in Iran. She studied painting and art research in her home country. She moved to Switzerland in 2018 to pursue a master’s degree in TRANS – Socially Engaged Artistic Practices at the Haute école d'art et de design (HEAD) in Geneva. The program at HEAD provided her with the opportunity to explore new methodologies and engage with contemporary social issues through art. Since then, she has been living and working in Geneva. Maryam's participatory artistic practice focuses on resilience through collective endeavors. Her work often revisits and reinterprets traditional Iranian collective activities, exploring how these practices enabled individuals, especially women, to create democratic spaces through their communal efforts. By situating these traditions in contemporary contexts, she highlights their enduring relevance and exploring the strength derived from communal solidarity. In her contemporary projects, Maryam places these traditional practices within modern contexts, demonstrating their enduring relevance. She is exploring how to involve community members in the creation process. This approach not only enriches her work but also fosters a sense of ownership and connection among participants.

Les Complices* is a self-organised social space that has existed for 20 years at Anwandstrasse 9 in Zurich. As a platform, Les Complices* supports the ideas and projects of queer, trans, inter, non-binary, women*, black people and people of colour. We find it important to advocate capitalism-critical, feminist, anti-racist, cultural productions outside the logic of the broad art market in Switzerland. Therefore, the curatorial work of Les Complices* is always motivated by queer, feminist, anti-classist, post- and decolonial concerns that need to be explored in connection with and from aesthetic practices.

The Workshop is priced at 50CHF, but please write to us if you it is too much for you.