Absent at the Table (after Magritte) by Connor Bashar

This self-portrait draws on René Magritte’s The Lovers to explore the quiet grief of living between cultures. I photographed myself with my face concealed beneath a white shroud, dressed in an anonymous suit and tie that reveals little about who I am. I created the work during a period when internet blackouts in Iran cut communication with family and friends, leaving many within Brisbane’s Persian community feeling powerless and unheard.

The table is prepared for connection. Persian tea, crystallised sugar and poetry in Farsi invite conversation, yet the place opposite remains empty. It is reserved for those separated by distance, censorship and political violence.

Inspired by Magritte’s use of concealment, I wanted the shroud to become more than a surreal image. For me, it represents silenced identities, hidden truths and the experience of diaspora, where culture survives through ritual, memory and longing, even when those we love cannot be present.