Mitra Samavaki
Calgary, Alberta
ARTIST BIO
Mitra Samavaki (she/her) is an Iranian visual artist currently based in Calgary, Canada. She holds a BFA in Sculpture from Tehran University of Art and has completed her Master of Fine Arts in Photography from the University of Calgary. Mitra primarily practices art through photography, which for her is not only a journey of self-exploration but also a bridge that intimately connects her with people and her surrounding environment.
Having relocated to Canada in 2021, Mitra’s current artistic practice is deeply rooted in themes of home, identity, and belonging, often drawing inspiration from her own experience as an immigrant living between two homelands. With a background as a photojournalist and documentary photographer, she worked for various news agencies, newspapers, and magazines in Iran for over a decade.
Mitra’s work has been exhibited at venues such as Contemporary Calgary, +15 Galleries, Nickle Galleries, the Art Gallery of Alberta, The Alberta Society of Artists, the Calgary Central Library, and Wild Skies Art Gallery. She has been awarded an Alberta Foundation for the Arts Graduate Scholarship and received the 2023 InFocus Photo Emerging Photographer Award.
PROJECT STATEMENT
This photographic series explores the emotional landscape of homes in transition—some on the verge of abandonment as their occupants prepare to leave, while others stand vacant, waiting to be filled with new lives and stories. Over the past two years, I have documented these "homes in waiting," capturing the quiet, intimate moments that echo the traces of lives once lived within their walls.
The act of moving is more than just a physical relocation; it is an emotional journey, intertwined with feelings of loss, grief, and the longing for familiarity. This body of work reflects my personal experience of migration and the complex emotions tied to leaving behind my home and familiar places.
Photographing these spaces has been a meditative practice, helping me process the grief and disorientation of transition while confronting the ongoing challenge of redefining 'home' in unknown and unfamiliar landscapes. Through this photographic exploration, I invite viewers to engage with these liminal spaces and reflect on their own personal narratives of movement, loss, and the enduring search for belonging.
