Dawoud Bey, Sara, University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, 2003, Chromogenic print, Courtesy of the artist, Rhona Hoffman Gallery, and Gorney Bravin + Lee

Interview Excerpt

Audio: (2.4MB mp3 file; 2 minutes)

My dad's Iranian, and so, my dad didn't want to have me tell that I was Iranian, in um, in my college essay just because I think he might have felt that someone might read it and, you know, be biased against Iranians or something like that, I guess... He's a little sensitive about it sometimes, so. Just because I'm his little girl and he doesn't want me to be hurt by anything. I didn't know whether or not to put it in 'cause, you know, when he first told me not to tell it was sort of like—of course I'm going to tell! It's part of who I am! And then it's sort of—well, you know, maybe, I shouldn't. And then, I just ended up saying that he was foreign born, "my father is foreign born," or something like that. Like I'm not going to hide it from the world; it was just this college essay. I mean I wasn't happy about it at first, but then when I saw it from his point of view, I was like, ok...

I've been thinking about relationships a lot, you know, 'cause I'm a teenager—that's what they do! Like, you know, why do people get married in general? I mean I think it's wonderful and I'm like a die-hard romantic, but it just, it's... I don't know... the whole state is really bizarre. My father, you know, he used to leave... 'cause, my parents are separated—they're not divorced yet. But, um, I just... I think it was always hard for me, you know, take him to the airport and watch Daddy go, and it was like—oooh!—you know, it's just no good. But seeing him again is always really wonderful. It's just the missing that hurts, you know... But I think that you can get used to almost, like, any condition. I'd like to say I'd be more careful before I try to fall in love, but I won't, you know, 'cause I think it just happens: you just fall in love, that's it—boom—and then it's there and... But then there's the whole, does it just disappear one day? And it's just, it's just sort of depressing.