Thursday 06/03 you’re welcome to discover the intervention by Mashid Mohadjerin from 7pm onwards at PONTI.

We will be presenting photographs, collages and a video installation that fortifies her narrative around the subjects of her newest book ‘Riding In Silence & The Crying Dervish’ which will also be available to check out and acquire at our space.

“ ...hegemonic masculinity consists of the practices, traits, and behaviours that turn a male human being into a ‘real man.’ These change significantly in time and from place to place and are shaped by systems of social power relations.” - Raewyn Connell

Riding In Silence & The Crying Dervish is the latest artist’s book by Mashid Mohadjerin. It explores the dual themes of masculinity and migration through the lens of her family’s history, following the footsteps of her paternal lineage against the backdrop of a Middle East in flux.

The project began with the discovery of a family manuscript that starts in the 1850s, filled with unexpected events—a harem, a nameless wife, and a nine-month journey on foot—yet without naming any of the many women in the family.

This discovery prompted Mohadjerin to delve into the changing concepts and representations of masculinity, both in the Middle East and elsewhere. While its connections to class, gender, and Western ideals may have faded over time, the biases it created remain—often unspoken, rarely discussed, but still profoundly shaping our current reality.

Multidisciplinary artist Mashid Mohadjerin (b. 1976, Tehran, Iran) obtained her Doctorate in the Arts at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp in 2021.   

Her work is shown internationally and has received multiple awards, including the Les Rencontres d’Arles Author’s Book Award for Freedom is Not Free (2021) and first prize in the Contemporary Issues category of World Press Photo 2009.

She has published three books and during this exhibition will present her most recent artist’s book, Riding in Silence & The Crying Dervish (2025).   

Artists: Mashid Mohadjerin