BODY
THE STREETS OF IRAN
Pencil and Ink on Cardboard, 24×33 cm, 2022-2024
ABSENT/PRESENT
Ink and Pencil on Newspaper, 2024
This is a bust of a woman, crafted from newspaper. The body appears nude, yet the button and drapery evoke clothes. On the other side, the structure seems fragmented and chaotic.
The external newspapers were purchased on a hot August day from a kiosk in San Donato Milanese, while the internal ones came from the room of a hotel, brought by a traveler from Tehran. One represents the physical place where the piece is located, while the other reflects the origin of the artist’s thoughts.
In a world dominated by news of war, violence, and inequality, does talking about suffering help to heal, or does it inflict further torment? How much do people suffer when reliving unpleasant memories? Is it the artist’s duty to make their audience happy?
And what about the creator? Does expressing their feelings bring liberation, or does it condemn them to relive the pain forever? Do people draw closer to the artist, or do they distance themselves? Does the artist have a greater responsibility to themselves or to society? And which society: the one in which they live, or the one they come from?
KNOWN/UNKNOWN
Ink and Pencil on Newspaper, 2024
Two bodies, joined together in silence, look ahead. Another figure accompanies them. On the other side of the wall, within them, there is chaos. They begin to move…
I KNOW YOU
Self-Portrait, Ink and Pencil on Newspaper, 2024
Every morning, I break apart, but I collect the fragments of myself and move forward.
THE SQUARE SERIES
Man, Nature, Geometry: a return to our origins, Collage, 10×15 cm, 2024
Man, Nature, Geometry: these three elements are intrinsically connected, representing the foundational principles that govern our existence. Through geometry, we understand the natural world around us, and through nature, we recognize the patterns that have shaped both our physical form and the world we inhabit. By exploring this relationship, we uncover the deep connection that binds us to the universe, revealing the underlying order and harmony that remind us our existence is part of a greater, interconnected whole.
INCOMPLETE SQUARE
Acrylic and pencil on canvas, 2024
Life is made up of events beyond our control. Do we have any choice but to adapt and find meaning in all of this?
THE PIECES OF A SQUARE
Acrylic and Pencil on Canvas, 2024
Fragments recovered from my previous works. I will never let go of any piece. I bring together all the parts of my life, every fragment of my existence. This is me, even if I may seem incomplete or imperfect, even if life has not taken the full and perfect shape I once envisioned.
BODY/WORLD
Collage and ink on canvas and papier-mâché, 100×40 cm, 2024
To reach your destination, you must step out of your comfort zone and into the world. To find the answer, you must question what you know and what you have, endure uncertainties, and allow your mind to imagine freely. You must not stop; you must walk and think…
CONTRAST
Pencil and Ink on Newsletter, 21×29.7cm,2024
OBSERVING OURSELVES
Pencil and Ink on Newsletter, 10×15 cm,2023
THE ALLEY OF THE BODY
Ink and pencil on newspaper, 90×30 cm, 2023
In his novel “Invisible Cities”, which we all know, Calvino wrote about cities that didn’t exist.
I asked myself: how would you describe your ideal city? My mind was blank. I was so overwhelmed by bad news and destroyed cities that I couldn’t even imagine moving past them. I couldn’t even pretend to think positively. What did I expect from this world, and what did I encounter instead? I thought about archetypes and the stages of growth. We leave childhood behind when we learn to replace optimistic expectations of the world with realistic ones. After this acceptance, we become so-called orphans, and our growth begins.
Beneath the City of “Eyes,” there is a river where the city’s reflection has fallen. People look down from above, and others look up from below. The path of inner exploration continues forever, and even in the harshest living conditions, one must seek meaning in life.
HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT
Pencil and ink on newspaper, 2023
For months, after the start of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, what had been happening in Iran had been ignored by many. This is a body you see from behind; you must turn around to truly see. That’s what we must do — we will force the world to see and stop denying it. On the streets of Iran, during the protests, protesters have been shot in the eyes, chest, and genitals. Repression, arrests, torture, rape, and executions continue in Iran.
DANCE ON THE GRAVE
Acrylic on canvas, 160×118 cm, 2023
In Iran, grieving families, instead of crying and wailing at the graves of their loved ones, dance and stomp their feet to avoid showing weakness to the enemy. Even their mourning becomes a form of resistance against the murderers of their loved ones—criminals who are sworn enemies of dance, music, joy, and life.
Dedicated to the beloved parents of Farzin Maroofi, who dance on the grave of their son on his birthday.
I AM THE CHANGE
Seven Blots, Mixed Media, 50×160 cm, 2019-2023
We have almost no control over our lives. Most events are influenced by a part of our psyche that we don’t know.
In this series, I created the blots by chance, then I found forms and I tried to give them a sense.
Everything seems to have started from nothing, but nothing that actually existed and it was already before. Because, if it hadn’t existed, it wouldn’t have manifested itself. The sculptor who carves a figure in stone has actually seen the shape in stone first.
The reaction we show to events depends on previous events. We are never separated from our past. We are the result of the sum of pasts that become present, we are children of change.
Change is the nature of the world.
If we want the world to change, we have to initiate this change in our inner world. How ready are we to change?
BODY/TREE
2021-2022
Finding similarities between trees and humans, and attributing the characteristics of trees to ourselves, can give us strength and hope to continue growing. Just thinking about how trees are reborn every year is enough. This is the process of life and death.
HAND/TREE
Ink, Pencil and Marker on Paper, 2018-2021
The hands act. Our feelings and thoughts make them move. What is in our heart and mind—are these truly ours, or a heritage passed down from others? How far must we explore to hear our own voice? Our identity lies behind our hands.
The branches are the hands of the tree. Turning hands into branches is a way to return to our origin and find our true identity.
HAND/LEAF
Trilogy, Ink and Pencil on Paper, 2021
A simple leaf—every day, we either pass by it or crush it. And a hand with a simple gesture. By combining and drawing these two ordinary yet now extraordinary things, we begin to question: How much of life has become normal for us? Do we forget to ask questions about the ordinary things?
QUARENTINE T-SHIRT
Drawing & sewing on T-shirt, 2020
Ink & Pencil on paper, 20×20 cm, 2020
During quarantine, everything changed in just a few days. Nothing was in its right place. Many things lost their meaning and function, but at least it made us think. It looks like a normal T-shirt, but it isn’t wearable. The back and front are sewn together.
FINISHED OR UNFINISHED
Fabric and thread, October 2020
I did it gradually over 2 years. It’s my own hand. First, I took a mold of my hand, then I transformed it into a different form. Is the hand (skin) forming or being destroyed—does it remain unclear? Our lives are an endless process of growth. We are constantly rebuilding our identity. In fact, we choose whether to build or destroy ourselves through our reactions to events.
OUTSIDE IS INSIDE
Topcoat, Drawing & Sewing on Fabric, 2019
“You are not constituent of the world, you, are the container of the world.” Draco Daatson
The emotions that we experience daily are going to “consolidate” within us and then materialize through external phenomenons. We create our own life.
SURREAL & REAL BORDER
Acrylic on Fabric, 2015
I was inspired by an episode from Elsa Schiaparelli’s memory. As a child, she jumped into a cement pond, and a passerby miraculously saved her life. This story speaks to both the usual and the unusual, the artificial and the natural. I chose two walls: one made of cement (artificial) and the other of stone (natural). Both walls prevent you from seeing inside. But if you turn around, you’ll suddenly encounter something unexpected. It’s about thinking differently and questioning what you know.
NOSTALGIA
Fashion Circus, 2014
A clown is known for their dual nature. Perhaps they make everyone laugh, but they are sad when alone. This represents the connection between two parts of a person — perhaps a hidden part that we may even conceal from ourselves.
BODY FRAME
Ink & Marker on Cardboard & Photomontage, 2017
Commedesgarcons Illustration
GLORY of IRAN
By Mahnaz Ekhtiary & Maryam Dastmalchian, Painting on Organza, 2015
“The Glory of Iran” is inspired by the changes that have occurred in the map of Iran since the Achaemenid period. We selected five maps and created a texture through overlapping layers.
JEWELRY DRESS of DUOMO
Jewellery Dress of Duomo1, Brass & Leather, 2014
Jewellery Dress of Duomo 2, Silver & Leather, 2017
This collection was inspired by the Duomo of Milan in 2014. My goal was to find myself in a new environment, to feel connected to it, and to unite with it. A few years later, in 2017, my art collection was selected for a design competition in the Lombardy region, and I collaborated with Dada Arrigoni to design the entire collection.
Jewelry, as an extension of the body, has the ability to change its form. Therefore, it can redefine the relationship between the body and its surroundings.
FORM of THINKING
Plaster & Clay, 2015
This sculpture was created during a workshop for the Venice Biennale. I discovered a form resembling an earth crack, which reminds us of the human body. It has an interactive quality, allowing it to change according to the space.
If you look more closely, you can discover more forms. The more you think, the more you understand; the more you search, the more you find.
NOWHERE
Painting on Blanket, 2014
In the first years after immigrating, I always missed my hometown and created works that expressed this feeling. As I walked through the city, I would look at the ground, following the shapes of the cracks, lost in my thoughts. I created a series of works inspired by the form of these cracks.
One of these works was made using a home appliance. A blanket, symbolizing a safe and warm home, was featured. It wasn’t wearable because it was meant to represent something unattainable. You could see the cracks on the outside and the leaves on the inside, symbolizing desire and hope for those who seek them.
WOOD
Acrylic on Wood, 2013
I attached thin layers of wood to a wooden board. After painting, I scratched the surface to reveal parts of the image. One figure is referenced or pointed to. Everything appears normal at first glance, but upon closer inspection, something seems off. Things aren’t exactly what they appear to be.”
THE BODY
Acrylic on Cardboard, Iranian Artist Forum Gallary, Tehran, Iran, 2012
I created the “Body” series at 2012, when I was living in Tehran. Those years, I was in a conflict with the paradoxical life that were imposing by society and politics. Exploring the layers, crossing the border of the skin and reaching the bone, was my attempt to express the concept of “obvious and hidden”. Considering clothes as a habitat, makes me ask myself who is the one that lives inside my clothes?
CALENDER
2012
In 2012, my painting teacher suggested that I draw every day. I chose a calendar and began recording my emotions and thoughts through drawings. We all have fears that hold us back, but we can overcome them by drawing daily. Consistently doing something also helps us become more responsible. When we stay committed, our ideas come to life, and we diligently work toward our goals.
NEWSPAPER
Acrylic on newspaper & canvas, 2011
In 2009, after experiencing deep disappointment, I decided to create empty clothing from newspapers I despised, to highlight the absence of humanity and challenge the everyday language with the language of art. Amidst feeling ignored, I hid my self-portrait inside one of the garments to declare that we exist, to affirm that we are not worthless
DRAWING/ INSTALLATION/ EMPTY DRESS
Drawing on Newspaper & Fabric, golestan Gallery, Tehran, Iran, 2011
I created this series to criticize our political situation in Iran. It is a collection consisting of 7 pieces. Number 7 is a symbolic number in my culture. It was a transformation from artistic to applied art.
The media try to dictate their opinion in public language. I used the newspaper to overturn it with artistic language. By changing our habits we can challenge ourselves.
ELEMENTS
Elements (Water, Wind, Fire, Soil), 2008
This is my bachelor thesis project
LIFE MODEL DRAWING
2008-2010
These are my quick sketches from a life model, created with expressive, dynamic lines. This is my first attempt to study anatomy and express my thoughts and ideas through drawing and painting
