ARTIST STATEMENT
I grew up in Iran, a country that even to this day, still punishes the LGBTQ+ community with the death penalty. I have witnessed the tremendous struggles from friends and relatives surrounding me having to deal with severe discrimination and fear from not only the authorities but the (often insensible) community around them as well. After I moved to the USA, I was surprised to find that the LGBTQ+ community in certain regions in America goes through similar struggles and challenges of discrimination and suppression. I started the Queer in Utah project in 2019 after I witnessed people from my new community in Utah depressed and sometimes injured by self-infliction; friends struggle to choose between their faith and desires; all rooted in a system of self-doubt from a clash where faith and sexual orientation can’t seem to harmonize. Within the state of Utah, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is omnipresent. Here, the new generation of LGBTQ+ Mormons is changing the course of its historic struggle between their sexual identity and the conflicts with their religious beliefs, by publicly acting on their sexuality while some of them still practice their faith. Despite the Church’s strict teachings, they are determined in their pursuit of love, each taking their own path by either enduring through the scrutiny of their surroundings or taking a step away from the Church.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Fazilat Soukhakian is an Iranian American artist, photographer, and scholar currently an Associate Professor of Photography at Utah State University. She began her career as one of Iran’s few female photojournalists. Her experiences in Iran, marked by social and political upheaval, greatly influenced her perspective and artistic direction. She moved to the United States in 2011 and received her Master of Fine Arts degree and her Ph.D in Architectural History from the University of Cincinnati. She is a visual storyteller who reflects on the social and political issues of her surroundings as a means for social change and justice. Her work revolves around depicting the stories of bravery and strength of those marginalized by society, highlighting the act of overcoming struggle and inspiring others. Fazilat’s work has garnered significant recognition and has been featured nationally and internationally in numerous exhibitions. Notable venues include the Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, FotoNostrum in Barcelona, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) in Salt Lake City, and the Photographic Center Northwest (PCNW) in Seattle. Awards such as the Utah Division of Arts & Museums Fellow, FotoNostrum Book Publication Award, Julia Margaret Cameron Award, Critical Mass Top 50, and Michael Reichmann Project Award recognize her photography contributions and commitment to pushing artistic boundaries.
© Fazilat Soukhakian