Bea Dero casts hybridity onto the streets of London

Bound by Two Homes blends Iranian cultural iconography with quintessentially British spaces to dissect identity

by Dalia Al-Dujaili, 1854 | British Journal of Photography

For Bea Dero, a British-born Iranian artist – as for most diaspora – hybridity presents itself as a method by which one practices their identity as they go. The artist’s debut solo show Bound by Two Homes materialised through a deeply personal journey of self-acceptance, an effort to reconcile two halves of an identity that the world so often forced apart. “When I’m in Iran they call me English and when I’m in England, they ask me where I’m from. I needed to find a way to create a representation that would help me see myself as whole as opposed to in-between things or never enough as either or,” Dero says. “I am enough and whole as I am, I just exist as something new.”

The tension of duality, the inescapable contrasts and parallels of heritage, is not unique but Dero’s response offers a particularly distinctive visual declaration of belonging, an assertion that identity does not have to be fragmented but can instead be layered, complex, and proudly held in its entirety.

The body of work – co-curated with Green Tble – brings together a portrait series and a reworking of family photo-album images, forming Archive Trellis, an installation that underscores the role of memory and nostalgia in shaping identity. “Through this piece, I’m reinforcing how memory and nostalgia inform my sense of self and in-turn, my practice. It further contextualises the project as my recent explorations have also rooted in my yearning to return to my motherland, which I can no longer do due to political safeguarding reasons,” she explains.

The language of Bound by Two Homes is one of feeling rather than place. The portrait series resists specificity: these aren’t images of particular streets or well-known landmarks but rather impressions of London’s quintessential spaces: the tube station, the pub or fish and chip shop, as Dero explains. “I’m not trying to represent a place rather, a feeling, the feeling of being bound by two homes. That’s what I know and what I can speak of.”

Dero’s process was as intentional as her subject matter. “The portrait series initially required very meticulous and intentional planning on my part to develop conceptually. Once I had figured this out I began to connect the project to a wider team. Collaborating with people who understand and support my vision is an integral part to my process. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without other people joining the mission – I like this about it all,” she says. Producer Shams Al-Fekaiki played a crucial role in bringing the project to life, organising logistics and casting alongside Dero, while stylists Siham Noor and Yesmine Naili infused the portraits with a sartorial dialogue between modern London and Iranian heritage. The final cast – four British-Iranian women – came to embody dual existence.

The production was as much a community effort as it was a personal one. She pays tribute to her mum, “for helping me with absolutely everything,” she says, “my uncle for helping me drive everything to location and my dad for picking up me, my rug and prop-full of suitcases to help me travel back to my home after we wrapped,” Dero recalls. Even a local shopkeeper played a role, lending her a sack truck to transport the project’s props through the city. “In true community spirits, we got it done.”

Installation view of Bound by Two Homes, 2025 © Natasha Radu. Courtesy of Green Tble. / © Natasha Radu. Courtesy 1854 | British Journal of Photography.

The show marks an evolution in Dero’s practice supported by Green Tble’s guidance in spatial curation. “They have introduced me to the sensitivity demanded to spatially curate, considering printing techniques, designing and producing wooden frames that compliments my story-telling in a material way. Working alongside their team has really developed my understanding of how spatial curation invites people to connect to the works in real life,” she says.

In Archive Trellis, Dero’s family photographs transcend their original function as personal keepsakes, becoming statements of identity and history. “The curatorial choice of the garden trellis compliments the statement of how these memories have supported my personal growth, as these archives call on the stories of my family’s life in Iran, my own memories of summers in Iran and then follows my family’s migration to London – framing the moments that have now become influential to my practice,” she notes. Similarly, the wooden baby cot gate framing the portrait series speaks to themes of childhood and protection, reinforcing the project’s role in healing the wounds of self-rejection.

The exhibition’s launch coincided with Nowruz, the Iranian and Kurdish New Year. “Sharing this work intentionally in the context of Nowruz and displaying the traditional ‘Haft-Seen’ table in the heart of Hackney has felt like a revolutionary moment for Iranian diaspora as we have created the space to share this cultural tradition with a multi-cultural community here in London,” Dero reflects.

Looking ahead, Dero is clear that her work is far from finished. “This series is a tribute to the resilience and pride of immigrant children, who carry their heritage with them, creating new definitions of home in the diaspora. I want to continue this tribute. There’s more work to be made. In a world full of divides, borders and battles, we need to figure out how we can truly feel at home wherever we are, wherever we end up.”