Minneapolis, MN
National cigarettes, banned pop songs and memory oceans: Minneapolis Iranian artists show work about diaspora
In the underground gallery of the Q.arma Building in northeast Minneapolis, there is a line of giant stubbed-out cigarettes, all of them glossy and hard ceramic.
Nearby are watercolor prints of Persian calligraphy featuring lyrics by female Iranian pop artists who worked in exile after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. In a back room, artist Shirin Ghoraishi places a virtual reality headset on visitors, chaperoning them through an ocean horizon that leads to a subway car.
This is the show, “So Far, So Close,” featuring Ghoraishi, Ziba Rajabi and Katayoun Amjadi. The artists were all born in Iran.
Artist Shirin Ghoraishi, here with curator and artist Ziba Rajabi, guides guests through her VR experience inspired by dreams and memory. Courtesy of Drew Arrieta
“We all have been living outside of Iran for years,” says Rajabi, who also curated the show. “This is an exhibition that explores the complicated experience of displacement from the motherland through themes of space, distance and memory by three Iranian female artists.”
When breaking news happens, MPR News provides the context you need. Help us meet the significant demands of these newsgathering efforts.
The exhibition was funded by the Twin Cities Iranian Culture Collective and the Minnesota Humanities Center.
Rajabi’s works are the series of watercolor calligraphy. In her artist statement, Rajabi explains that in “the ‘80s and ‘90s, the Islamic regime banned pop music, and the only art and music allowed were war propaganda.”
The pop songs she references in her work come from Iranian artists whose work was smuggled into the country on tapes or VHS. For this show, she focuses on the music of Leila Forouhar, an Iranian woman who fled Iran in the 80s.
The “Forget to Fly” series by artist-curator Ziba Rajabi uses watercolor monotypes of Persian calligraphy “employing verses from pop songs by Iranian female singers who lived and worked in exile after the 1979 [Iranian] Revolution.”
Courtesy of Drew Arrieta
“Her experience of exile was similar,” Rajabi says.
Ghoraishi created a VR experience about reality, dreams and memory and where these areas overlap.
“The audience will see an ocean that is a representation of dreams and memories, which doesn’t mean they are true or not true,” Ghoraishi says. “Sometimes memory tricks us. We remember something that didn’t exist before.”
Ghoraishi ends the user experience by placing them in front of a full-length mirror in a dim room.
“This final moment is a necessary reminder that as an immigrant, we are shaped by what we remember of our past and what we have had to forget,” Ghoraishi says. “The mirror reflects not only the self but the constant negotiation of one’s identity.”
A still from the virtual reality experience “Echoes and Fragments” created by Minneapolis artist Shirin Ghoraishi.
Courtesy of Shirin Ghoraishi
Amjadi created the nine giant ceramic cigarettes. The rest of her installation includes silkscreen prints of cigarette packs as well as two actual cigarette packs encased in a clear box. “Two ordinary cigarette packs picked up from newsstands in Tehran and Jerusalem,” Amjadi wrote in her artist statement.
The brands are Bahman, the national cigarette of Iran, and Alia, a cigarette brand from Palestine that is sold in Israel.
Amjadi says her art investigates “how objects carry memory, and the objects that we collect, especially as souvenirs that we bring from one place to another, are signifiers of memory, nostalgia and also identity are embedded in them.”
Bahman, Amjadi explains, is Farsi for “snow avalanche” and is also the word for February, the month of the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
“Bahman is the month of revolution, a 1979 revolution in Iran that, in a sense, caused the Iranian diaspora,” Amjadi says. “So me and my friends right here would not be here if that event would not have taken place.”
Minneapolis-based Iranian artists Katayoun Amjadi, Shirin Ghoraishi and Ziba Rajabi with moderator Aida Shahghasemi at the opening of the show “So Far So Close” at the Q.arma Underground Gallery in northeast Minneapolis.
Courtesy of Alaleh Naderi
Alia is the Arabic word for “exalted.” Amjadi says it also has the meaning of a return to the Holy Land for the Jewish people. (Aliyah means “ascent” in Hebrew and is used in Judaism to represent both the act of being called to read from the Hebrew Bible and the act of immigrating to Israel.)
“Which is a reverse diaspora but causes another diaspora, a Palestinian diaspora,” she says. “I’m interested in the desires and yearnings of one population for a homeland, for belonging to a place, and how it causes another group to be displaced, and the parities between these diasporas in a way.”
Gallery hours are 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays through Tuesdays. Visitors can do the virtual reality experience Saturdays and Sundays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibition will have a closing reception on Sept. 21.
A Minneapolis man who pleaded guilty to murdering a high school student in 2022 was sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison on Monday.
It was the second time Cody Fohrenkam was sentenced for fatally shooting 15-year-old Deshaun Hill. He was convicted and sentenced to more than 38 years in prison in February 2023, but the Minnesota Court of Appeals later reversed the conviction and granted him a retrial based on illegally obtained incriminating statements.
Fohrenkam, 33, agreed to a plea deal as his second trial was set to start, pleading guilty to one count of second-degree intentional murder in exchange for Monday’s 340-month sentence. The judge presiding over the hearing gave him credit for 1,476 days already served.
Fohrenkam shot and killed Hill while Hill was walking to a bus stop just blocks from Minneapolis North High School, where Hill was a star quarterback and honor roll student.
One of Hill’s aunts said in a statement shortly before the judge sentenced Fohrenkam that her nephew was “full of life.”
“When he spoke, you listened. He had a soft spirit and a good heart,” she said. “Deshaun was an artist who, as you all know, he took his education seriously. He had dreams and goals. He worked hard to make his family proud.”
This story will be updated.
A man is now charged with murder after prosecutors say a robbery inside a Minneapolis apartment building ended in a fatal shooting.
Prosecutors say the man was on conditional release after being charged with first-degree armed carjacking for an incident in Minneapolis last September.
> Sign up for the MN CRIME newsletter
The killing happened Feb. 24 inside the Abbott Apartments lounge area on the 100 block of East 18th Street, where police found an adult man dead from gunshot wounds after reports of a shooting.
Court documents state the victim and a friend went to the building to meet 20-year-old Abdirahman Khayre Khayre. A witness stated Khayre left the room several times and appeared to be stalling before three armed men entered and demanded property. The men were described as carrying two Glock-style handguns with extended magazines and an AR-style rifle. During the robbery, the suspects demanded a Louis Vuitton bag belonging to the victim. When the victim resisted, a struggle broke out. The witness stated that two guns were taken from him during the robbery.
The witness told investigators Khayre was handed one of the stolen guns and then pointed it at him, causing him to flee into the lobby. Moments later, multiple gunshots were heard. The witness returned and found the victim shot. Surveillance footage from other areas of the building reportedly corroborated key parts of the account, and the witness later identified Khayre in a photo lineup, according to the complaint.
PREVIOUSLY: Man Shot and Killed Inside Minneapolis Apartment Building
Authorities say Khayre was on conditional release at the time of the killing in a separate Hennepin County case involving a September 2025 armed carjacking.
READ MORE > Minneapolis coverage
In that earlier case, prosecutors alleged Khayre and others confronted a woman in a garage near 19th Street and Nicollet Avenue, pointed handguns at her and forced her to give up the keys to a Dodge Challenger before fleeing in the stolen vehicle. Officers later located the vehicle and arrested multiple suspects, including Khayre, who was identified as the driver.
Court records show Khayre posted a $75,000 non-cash bond and was released under conditions requiring him to remain law-abiding, have no possession of firearms or ammunition, avoid alcohol and controlled substances and complete treatment.
Khayre is now charged with second-degree murder without intent while committing a felony and first-degree aggravated robbery. He made an initial court appearance Friday, where a judge set bail at $1 million. If convicted of second-degree felony murder, he faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
The homicide investigation remains ongoing. Authorities have not yet released the identity of the victim. Anyone with information is asked to contact Minneapolis police by emailing policetips@minneapolismn.gov or calling 612-673-5845. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or online. Information leading to an arrest and conviction may be eligible for a financial reward.
> See more of our latest coverage
> Follow on X or YouTube for more
Minneapolis, MN
Man killed over Louie Vuitton bag, suspect was on bond for suspected carjacking, charges say
Minneapolis police are investigating a homicide on Feb. 24, 2026. (FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A man is dead after a witness said he refused to give up a Louis Vuitton bag while being robbed by multiple men at gunpoint.
Abdirahman Khayre Khayre, 20, is charged with second-degree murder and first-degree robbery for the incident that happened on the evening of Feb. 24 in Minneapolis.
READ MORE: Man fatally shot in south Minneapolis apartment building
Fatal Minneapolis shooting after robbery
The set-up:
Minneapolis police responded around 10:42 p.m. on Feb. 24 at the Abbott Apartments, located on the 100 block of East 18th Street in the Stevens Square neighborhood of Minneapolis.
Officers then found a dead man in the lobby who had been shot multiple times.
A witness to the shooting said he and the victim arrived at the apartments to “hang out” with Khayre, according to the criminal complaint.
The witness said he became suspicious when Khayre he left the room multiple times and “appeared to be stalling.”
The robbery:
The complaint states the witness reported three men then came into the room and yelled “Give me everything.” The men were armed with Glock handguns that had extended magazines as well as an AR-style rifle.
They then stole two guns from the witness, and one of them was handed to Khayre.
When the men demanded a Louis Vuitton bag from the victim, he refused, leading to a fight between them all.
The shooting:
The witness said when he walked toward them, Khayre pointed the witness’ stolen gun at him and racked it.
The witness then got out of the room, ran toward the lobby and heard multiple gunshots. He then saw two of the men flee out the back of the building, but didn’t see what direction they went in.
The victim was then found dead.
The aftermath:
Khayre was then identified by the witness in a photo lineup, according to the criminal complaint.
Police say video footage corroborated much of what the witness reported.
Khayre was on conditional release for a suspected carjacking at the time of the shooting, according to the complaint.
The Source: This story uses information gathered from a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County and previous FOX 9 reporting.
West Virginia Lottery results: See winning numbers for Powerball, Lotto America on March 2, 2026
This Small Wyoming Town Has The Best Downtown
Wisconsin lawmakers crack down on cryptocurrency scams
2 Aspira charter high schools to close by April due to financial issues
Home Gym Supplies Squat Rack Cage Package Released to Market for Exercise Lovers by Strongway Gym Supplies
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Trump sends official notification to Congress on strikes against Iran
Unexpected birth brings hope to near-extinct Amazon tribe
Supreme Court blocks redrawing of New York congressional map, dealing a win for GOP
Map: Earthquake Shakes Central California
Gas prices could jump as Middle East tensions threaten global oil supply
-
World5 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts5 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Denver, CO5 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Louisiana1 week agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Technology1 week agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Politics1 week agoOpenAI didn’t contact police despite employees flagging mass shooter’s concerning chatbot interactions: REPORT
-
Technology1 week agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making
-
News1 week agoWorld reacts as US top court limits Trump’s tariff powers