Laguna College of Art + Design

My paintings move through the shadow of my past life. I was born and grew up in post-revolutionary Iran, in a culture dominated by patriarchal governments and households. As a young woman in Iran, I saw wars, protest, and revolution. My early experiences in Iran changed my perception of the role of women in society; they influenced my way of talking about women. I began using my art as a voice for women and the harsh experiences and constraints many experience. My work encompasses psychological aspects of these suffering women's lives. My new series of paintings, The Birth, is divided into two groups: figures and still life compositions. The figurative works are inspired by narratives derived from Islamic culture and adapted to modern customs. They are usually centered on a single woman surrounded by objects of symbolic meaning. My still life works are surrealist stories with a collection of objects selected for their symbolic value. Papers, a typewriter, water, cups, flowers, and light stand in for voiceless women in my paintings. The cups symbolize women as beautiful, strong vessels, and the flowers represent a new beginning in all my paintings, reaching from the darkness of the vessel toward the light of the sky. The typewriter is a symbol of voice, and water represents the purity of life in my paintings. Painting is my way of showing love, passion, and hope to other women who have suffered as I have.