Concerned with history and current events, Iraqi-American artist, Michael Rakowitz uses his work to explore pressing issues and to invite others into the conversations fostered by his public projects, installations, and events. He engages in fact-finding and makes connections with people at all opportunities, focusing on individuals involved in situations that range from the personal to the local to the geopolitical. Among his first projects is paraSITE (begun 1997), a series of inflatable homes built in consultation with people experiencing homelessness who would then occupy them. Rakowitz’s own Iraqi-Jewish heritage features prominently in many of his works, reflecting his deep connection to the country. Since 2004, with his ongoing project, RETURN, he has been attempting to import dates from Iraq into the U.S., the centrepiece of a multipart project that illustrates the cultural richness of this country in crisis.