Hootan Heydari - Remembering to Forget

Remembering to Forget is a new exhibition by Hootan Heydari, examining history, place and memory. Using memory reconsolidation as a locus to expand on notions of belonging and personal narrative, this exhibition explores the idea that the more you recreate a memory, the further it deviates from its origin.  

Heydari uses photographs of personal significance which are transferred onto plaster, a material rich in symbolism—representing fragility, strength, healing, and domesticity. These plaster photographs are arranged across the floor; you can feel them cracking under foot, symbolising the inevitable erosion of memory. Distorted photographs are displayed on the artist’s signature steel shelves. Over time, as the audience engages with the images on the wall, the deterioration of those on the floor accelerates, reinforcing the idea that revisiting the past results in rewriting memories. 

Image: Hootan Heydari, Remembering to Forget (detail) 2025