Iran, the responsibility of caring for her even younger brother and the confusion of having a parent with a mental illness.
After surviving a tumultuous childhood that also saw a revolution and a war, Mojee— as her friends call her— ultimately escaped her homeland to find stability
and peace of mind in the United States, where she was able to develop her artistic skills and create large-scale minimalist-contemporary pieces that explore reflection on an empty childhood and coping with an ongoing, complicated mother-daughter relationship.
Now married and living in the Walker Building in downtown Long Beach, Mojgan Edalat-Mc-Clusky works in a spacious studio on the first floor of the structure
that once housed Walker’s Department Store.
“Because Mojee is so forthcoming and frank about her experiences, we’re able to delve deeply into issues of mental illness, cultural identity, guilt and the ultimate salvation that can be found in creating art,” said Cory Bilicko, another Long Beach artist who is directing and producing the documentary about Edalat-McClusky.
“Upon becoming friends with Mojee, I was struck by how honest she was in discussing her mom. Clearly, she had used her art to work through her childhood issues, and it was fascinating to see how she took those chaotic, bewildering experiences and refined them into very streamlined, clean paintings that tell her stories.”
The film’s director of photography is Long Beach native Adam Buchsbaum, who earned a film degree from Vassar College. Buchsbaum is a working videographer/photographer who drew upon his experience in documentary and narrative filmmaking to achieve Bilicko’s vision for the project.
“I thought Mojee’s ability to be so open with us about her past was very inspiring,” Buchsbaum said. “It takes a lot of bravery to be that candid about the difficult things in our past.”
Long Beach resident Martin Beal— a producer, recording engineer and multi-instrumentalist— has composed and recorded the score for the film. He has been working in the Los Angeles area for the last three decades, having worked with a select group of local musicians and recorded some of the biggest names in pop music, such as Taylor Swift and Kelly Clarkson, as well as the legendary
punk band X and others.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”500px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Screen-Shot-2016-06-24-at-9.38.27-AM.png” align=”left” lightbox=”on” caption=”“Time Out,” acrylic on canvas by
Mojgan Edalat-McClusky” captionposition=”left”] Beal consulted with Bilicko on the project’s subject matter and tone, viewed interviews with Edalat-McClusky, then created five original songs that depict her loneliness, her identity— as shaped by Iran and the U.S.— and, finally, a
sense of redemption and fulfillment achieved through her art.
“I was provided raw interview footage from which I was inspired to create the film’s score,” Beal said. “In particular, I was moved by Mojee’s strength, introspection and her ability to transform the pain of her past into the beautiful
art she now creates.”
Bilicko believes the film could serve as inspiration for creative people who encounter artistic road blocks because of personal problems.
“It is my hope that folks of various ages will be inspired by Mojee’s
courage in confronting her past and by her determination, not only to find her way in a completely different country, but to discover her self-worth enough to
bring wonderful paintings into the world,” Bilicko said. “It’s a true testament to the power of art.”
The screening event will take place
in the back theatre of the Expo Arts Center, 4321 Atlantic Ave., on Friday, July 1. The first screening will take place at 6:30pm and the second at 8pm, each followed by a Q-and-A with Bilicko, Edalat-Mc-Clusky, Buchsbaum and Beal. Free
parking is available along Atlantic Avenue and at the Bixby Business Center, 4401 Atlantic Ave. The project was made possible in part through a microgrant from the Arts Council for Long Beach and the generosity of the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association.
Source: Cory Bilicko
[Ed. note: Bilicko is the managing editor of the Signal Tribune].
