The Breakers will serve as the latest venue for “SEARCHERS (Act 3),” a contemporary art installation by Hadi Falapishi. The exhibit, presented in collaboration with Dodie Kazanjian and Art & Newport, is scheduled to run from August 31 through September 6, offering a unique artistic dialogue with The Great Elephant Migration.
“SEARCHERS” is a multifaceted installation presented in three acts. The first act was previously showcased in the Solarium of Rough Point, and the second at The Great Friends Meeting House in Newport. This final act will be featured in the second-floor loggia of The Breakers, providing a fitting conclusion to the series.
Visitors interested in viewing “SEARCHERS (Act 3)” will need to purchase admission to The Breakers or hold a membership with The Preservation Society of Newport County.
Through this installation, Falapishi explores the concept of encountering the unknown, capturing the dual feelings of excitement and fear that often accompany the arrival in a new place. The work challenges the conventional narrative of migration by shifting the perspective to the welcoming crowd, delving into themes of acceptance, curiosity, and the process of uncovering the unknown. Each act of the installation heightens the sense of displacement that is inherent to any migratory experience.
Falapishi’s work for this installation includes 100 paintings, sculptures, and whimsical objects that interact with and comment on the 100-elephant herd currently displayed in Newport.
“My show imagines a place when new creatures arrive and projects how the locals respond to that news,” Falapishi explained, shedding light on the imaginative nature of his project.
About the Artist
Born in Tehran in 1987, Hadi Falapishi moved to New York a decade ago, where he continues to live and work. His art spans various mediums, including painting, photography, ceramics, sculpture, performance, and installation. Falapishi’s narrative style blends allegory and fable, featuring a diverse cast of characters—humans, cats, mice, and other animals—to explore themes of displacement, alienation, belonging, conflict, and anxiety. In 2023, the Whitney Museum of American Art hosted a solo public exhibition of his work titled “Almost There,” and in 2022, CCA Goldsmith’s in London presented his first institutional exhibition in Europe, “As Free As Birds.”
Falapishi’s latest installation, “SEARCHERS (Act 3),” continues his exploration of these themes, inviting visitors to engage with the complexities of migration and the human condition.
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