International Arrivals – Details, episodes & analysis

International Arrivals speaks with transdisciplinary artist Gita Hashemi (Iran/Canada) (gitaha.net) about her project Grounding: States of Gender, which explores identity, language, and personal narrative. This embodied performative writing project transcribes stories of her friend Zahra through calligraphic writing in black and red painted onto giant scrolls. Unlike Hashemi, who left Iran after the 1979 revolution, Zahra remained. Hashemi discusses womanhood, activism, the significance of using Farsi in the artwork, the challenges of addressing sensitive topics, and the idea of transmission. Reflecting on the current protests in Iran, and the continued significance of this project, Hashemi emphasises the need for international support and solidarity for Iranian freedom and self-determination. 

* This podcast was recorded early in 2026, prior to the US and Israel launching airstrikes in Iran. 
Photo by Justin Wonnacott

International Arrivals speaks with interdisciplinary artist Miguel Alejandro Castillo (Venezuela/USA) (https://www.instagram.com/love.entirely) about his journey to the US to study dance and his work as a choreographer, dancer, and director. Castillo addresses the impact of immigration on his identity, his body, and the challenges of navigating bureaucratic language. He discusses loud and clear, a performance piece he created with Daniel de Barrito and visual artist Lexi Hota which explores the Venezuelan diaspora through folkloric elements and masks. He reflects on how his performances serve as an archive for diasporic experiences and his own memories.

Castillo was recently awarded the winner of The Juilliard School's Marcus Directing Fellowship for 2025-26.

International Arrivals speaks with artist Christhian C. Diaz Silva (Colombia/USA) (https://christhiandiaz.com/) about his recent performance at Movement Research and his path from cleaning offices with his mother to his life as an interdisciplinary artist, educator, and legal immigration advocate.

International Arrivals speaks with performance artist Natacha Voilakovsky (Argentina/USA)(https://natachavoliakovsky.com/) about her move to the US and how she uses the materials of her body in her work as a symbol of social struggle, power, and control. 

International Arrivals speaks with interdisciplinary artist Helina Metaferia (Ethiopia/USA)(https://helinametaferia.com) about the Ethiopian diaspora in the US, her use of archives and collage in her work, and what it means to be radical and disruptive. 

International Arrivals speaks with visual artist Arleene Correa Valencia (Mexico/USA) (https://www.correavalencia.com/) about her latest projects, her family's journey from Mexico to California and their former undocumented status. She speaks about her textile work and the shared trauma of border crossing: love and suffering, the visible and the invisible.

International Arrivals speaks with visual artist Jose Campos aka Studio Lenca (El Salvador/USA/UK) (https://www.studiolenca.com/) about his latest projects, his journey from El Salvador to the US, where he and his mother were undocumented, and eventually becoming a citizen of the UK. He speaks about collaborating with local communities and the utopia of El Jardin where multitudes of species and identities can thrive harmoniously.

International Arrivals speaks with artist Nyugen E. Smith (Caribbean/USA) (https://www.nyugensmith.com/) about his use of found objects and maps, along with his interest in Yoruba practices and his first memory of snow.

International Arrivals speaks with interdisciplinary artist Golnar Adili (Iran/USA) (https://golnaradili.com) about her movement between Iran and the US, her relationship with her father, and the archive.

International Arrivals speaks with interdisciplinary artist Azita Moradkhani (Iran/USA) (http://azitamora.com/) about her exhibition The Real Beneath at Jane Lombard gallery, pleasure, pain, the female body, and her transition to the US.