Which Yesterday is Tomorrow?

Dahlia Elsayed & Andrew Demirjian

March 14 – July 18, 2020

Which Yesterday Is Tomorrow?, a rest stop for the future based on the past, by artists Dahlia Elsayed and Andrew Demirjian. This multi-sensory installation reimagines the Silk Road caravanserai as a potential site for the exchange of ideas and culture.

Unable to accommodate a fully-immersed experience of the exhibition due to COVID-19, Transformer & the artists provided a series of online programming and a special public closing of the exhibition on July 18, 2020.

 Which Yesterday is Tomorrow? exhibition view inside Transformer, 2020.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

A rest stop for the future based on the past, Which Yesterday Is Tomorrow?, by artists Dahlia Elsayed and Andrew Demirjian, presents an alternate world intended to reconnect people with the senses, rituals, and mythologies that have been diminished in an age dominated by relentless commerce and time scarcity.

Establishing an alternative to the historical narrative of colonization, crisis, and territoriality portrayed in Western media, in tandem with their own work Elsayed and Demirjian have invited and curated a group of designers, painters, sculptors, and poets to contribute to establishing a space for re-connection for artists.

While Transformer’s physical space was closed to the public, Transformer presented a weekly series of interview videos created by Elsayed and Demirjian that explore exhibition themes through virtual tours presented on Transformer's instagram, facebook, and twitter platforms.

References and resources related to the themes addressed in Which Yesterday Is Tomorrow? will also continue to be added to the site throughout the duration of the exhibition.

For further details on Which Yesterday Is Tomorrow? as it was initially intended to be presented for public viewing within Transformer's exhibition space, please read our press release above.

Artworks from Which Yesterday Is Tomorrow? are available for purchase at Transformer’s online store.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Dahlia Elsayed is an artist and writer who makes text and image-based work that synthesizes an internal and external experience of place, connecting the ephemeral to the concrete. She writes short fictions for created landscapes that take the form of narrative paintings, print and installation. Her work has been exhibited at galleries and institutions throughout the United States and internationally, including the 12th Cairo Biennale, Robert Miller Gallery, BravinLee Programs, The New Jersey State Museum and Aljira Center for Contemporary Art. Her work is in the public collections of the Newark Museum, the Zimmerli Museum, Johnson & Johnson Corporation, the US Department of State, amongst others. Dahlia has received awards from the Joan Mitchell Foundation, the Edward Albee Foundation, Visual Studies Workshop, the MacDowell Colony, Women’s Studio Workshop, Headlands Center for the Arts, and the NJ State Council on the Arts. She received her MFA from Columbia University, and lives and works in New Jersey. Ms. Elsayed is a Professor of Humanities at CUNY LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, NY.

Andrew Demirjian is an interdisciplinary artist who works with remix, rhythm and ritual. He creates environments for critical reflection through scraping and recombining popular culture, making intricate collages of sound and language. His work is often presented in non-traditional exhibition spaces and takes the form of interactive installations, generative art, multi-channel videos and live performances. He is currently a Fellow at the MIT Open Documentary Lab, where he is working on a computational text analysis project for linguistic remixing of vast quantities of video files. Andrew’s work has been exhibited at The Museum of the Moving Image, Eyebeam, Fridman Gallery, Rush Arts, the White Box gallery, Cyberfest, Fieldgate Gallery, the Center for Book Arts, The Newark Museum and many other galleries, festivals and museums. He is the author of Pan-terrestrial People’s Anthem, a book of poetry and collection of music that remixes the lyrics and songs of 195 national anthems. The MacDowell Colony, Puffin Foundation, Artslink, Harvestworks, Diapason, The Experimental Television Center, The Bemis Center, LMCC Swing Space, The Visual Studies Workshop and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts are among some of the organizations that have supported his work. Andrew teaches theory and production courses in emerging media in the Film and Media Department and the Integrated Media Arts MFA program at Hunter College.

The artists that Elsayed and Demirjian invited to contribute to their exhibition include (as of 2.19.20): Samira Abbassy, Negar Ahkami, Sayran Barzani, Suzan Batu, Tarek Bouraque, Aiham Dib, Linda Ganjian, Hushidar Mortezaie, and Anahita Vossoughi.

EXHIBITION PROGRAMS

WHICH YESTERDAY IS TOMORROW? VIDEO SERIES

Responding to the temporary closure of Transformer’s physical space due to COVID-19, Elsayed and Demirjian created a series of videos to explore exhibition themes through virtual tours.

FRAMEWORK PANEL: Cultures in Contact Panel Discussion

April 25, 2020

Framework discussion between artists Dahlia Elsayed and Andrew Demirjian and historians Emily Neumeier and Joshua Michael White. The panelists discussed the rich history of social spaces and methods of transcultural exchange as it pertains to the current exhibition, as well as frame it to inform the future. Presented via Zoom.

Exhibition Closing View
Saturday, July 18th from 2pm – 6pm

Which Yesterday is Tomorrow? was created by Dahlia Elsayed & Andrew Demirjian for audiences to pause and reconnect with the senses, rituals, and mythologies that have been diminished in an age dominated by relentless commerce and time scarcity. Unable to accommodate a fully-immersed experience of their gorgeous & thoughtful work this spring due to COVID-19, Transformer & the artists will be providing a special public closing of the exhibition. 
 
On July 18, 2pm – 6pm, we welcome visitors to individually experience Which Yesterday Is Tomorrow? as a vessel for solitary reflection*. Elsayed & Demirjian have created a small batch of masks that will be distributed (while supplies last) using design motifs from the exhibition. 

*One person at a time inside Transformer; masks required for entry. Please keep 6 ft distance outside the space while waiting to enter. The artists will be outside Transformer for socially distant conversation.

Artist On-line Caravanserai

Advancing our mission to connect & promote artists, and seeking to further highlight their thoughtful insight, ideas and inspiration during this difficult time to our growing network of friends, colleagues & supporters, Transformer expands upon the caravanserai concept within the Which Yesterday is Tomorrow? exhibition, inviting a diverse mix of artists to take over our Instagram story throughout this spring.
 
Transformer is providing honoraria to an evolving roster of 15+ artists to each visually write Transformer's Instagram story for a week. This series of weekly take-overs featuring artists' perspectives on Healing through Music, Mental Health, Body Wellness, Stillness, Play, and more will provide needed financial support for the participating artists, and a platform to alleviate and elevate people in the months to come.