ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Golnar Adili's Exhibition at Smack Mellon Explores Family History Through Text and Sculpture

exhibition · 2026-03-20

Golnar Adili is presenting an exhibition titled 'To Measure the Emotions of Others' at Smack Mellon in New York, on view through March 29. The show features works that draw from the artist's extensive archive of family correspondence dating to 1981, created after her parents' separation due to leftist activism following the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Central pieces include a 15-meter sculpture reproducing Persian characters from a letter, alongside other text-based works that transform script into sculptural forms. The exhibition also includes new plaster casts of the artist's arms and hands, as well as an installation responding to contemporary conflicts. Adili's work examines themes of loss, memory, and the emotional dimensions of personal and political history.

Key facts

  • Golnar Adili's exhibition 'To Measure the Emotions of Others' is on display at Smack Mellon in New York
  • The exhibition runs through March 29
  • Works are based on family letters from 1981 onward, following her parents' separation due to political activism after the 1979 Iranian Revolution
  • A key sculpture reproduces Persian characters from a letter in archival cardboard on a 15-meter structure
  • The show includes text-based pieces, plaster casts of the artist's body parts, and an installation referencing current conflicts

Entities

Artists

  • Golnar Adili

Institutions

  • Smack Mellon

Locations

  • New York
  • Iran

Sources