Bio
IMGRNT serves as the conceptual and creative framework of Arash Shoushtari (b. 1987), an Iranian-born American artist whose practice is rooted in a transdisciplinary approach encompassing the spectrum of two to four-dimensional media. Shoushtari’s work interrogates themes inherent to the immigrant experience, refracting complex socio-cultural narratives through multifaceted media. His visual works, often studies in perception and optical distortion, employ modernized pattern language that evokes the symbolic lexicon of Persian textiles. These pieces serve as a semiotic exploration of diasporic identity, grounded in the storytelling traditions embedded within Persian rug-making. A graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (BFA 2010), Shoushtari’s work has been exhibited on both national and international stages.

Statement
IMGRNT is the creative identity that frames my practice as a visual artist, printmaker, and performer. As an Iranian-born, American artist my work explores the immigrant experience, cultural identity, and perceptions of assimilation through a blend of traditional and contemporary media. I often reimagine the symbolic language of Persian textiles into optical studies of diasporic memory, realized through screen printing and pattern-based installations. My performance work combines electronic music, movement, and video to create immersive environments that challenge ideas of otherness. Based in Nashville since 2018, I use IMGRNT as a platform for storytelling that reframes displacement as a space of resilience and collective identity.