Past: Iran

Before I have started my PhD journey, in my art practice, I had focused on space in particular cities’ landscapes to investigate nature found in cities and the image of a garden. The first idea of these works came from the reflection of trees on water streams that can be seen all over Tehran.

These images recall the wilderness of different parts of Iran that I saw during my trips: fields and deserts that are ornamented with individual trees. Trees are one of the few elements of nature that play a role in the civic life of human beings. Forests become smaller and cities become bigger. And humans try to find a new way to recreate lost nature within cities.

Therefore, they bring trees to cities, as an important element of nature, which look like strangers lost amongst buildings that stretch to the sky. This is how I define the existence of trees in cities: held captive in cities, trees imagine the free nature to which they belong. In my paintings, trees remain as a shadow which is floating in their dreams. They are lost in the depths of cities. My garden’s trees are floating in their ambition.

 

Past and Present: Iran and the UK

To explore my position as a person in relation to space –both geographical and social- influenced by social movements in my home city, I started to make identical collages on

second-hand books by using my old self-portrait photos, drawings and paintings. In this project, I added my own dreams, nightmares and life experiences onto the pages which

hold the previous owner’s ideas.

 

Present: The UK

In the different periods of my works, space, as a living environment, and my memories and experiences have a significant role. Moving from Iran to the UK has led to dramatic changes in different aspects of my life. This geographical relocation provides me with different conceptual perspectives on personal and social levels. It highlighted the role of personal memories and experiences in my works which appear as a new layer on my works. The impacts of these changes are reflected in my artworks by using new media such as video.

It also can be seen in the art techniques that I used. For instance, collage represents the concept of collective identity, and transferring images on canvas metaphorically visualize the effects of moving from a place to another on a person. It also shows the damage remaining from this transition and the repairs which a person tries to make to them. In addition, I have always used photography at the base of my works. It has become more visible in the works that I made during my PhD studio practice. In this stage, the different layers of collage, drawing and paintings appear and reside closely.

Besides, my works have been profoundly influenced by the artistic and conceptual features of the artworks exhibited in Tehran Biennials. The manners that the artists choose to represent their Iranian tradition and national identity in being modern and international influenced my personal and artistic journey during my PhD. In other words, I traced the ways that the Iranian modern artists manage to make a balance between national and international levels in their artworks. This research brings these challenges and the solutions to the surface and offers a detailed visual analysis of them.

Furthermore, three major inspirations influenced my works: my living environment, nature, and the images in my creative mind. The first brings urban spaces and sign into my work, the second creates contrasts and harmony, and the third challenges me to create imaginary aspects to make a new picture. All in all, I try to show all my concerns in my drawings and paintings with forms and colours. Moreover, I have a prevailing tendency to use contemporary and traditional symbols in my work; symbols entangled in our ordinary life, without which our humanity would be in question.