Artist Statement

My recent body of work “Get It off Your Chest,” examines the conflict between the need for freedom and the fear of despotism.  My idea has developed when the Iranian government killed many innocent people in 2009. After years of fear and silence, Iranians protest in Tehran against a stolen election in order to open a narrow path toward freedom. Dozens of demonstrators were killed in clashes with security forces during election protests. The structure of my sculptures relies on a dialogue between myself, the felts, the threads, and the embellishments that make up my work. I use a variety of techniques, such as needle felting, wet felting, wrapping, machine and hand embroidery, and hand stitching embellishments to complete the work.

In this piece, “The Memory Book”, I used felt to represent human flesh, the black holes stand for the years of silence, and wire threads signify censored memories. The lace papers with stitched threads inside the books hold memories, and welcoming viewers to write their censored memories on them.  This piece is an interactive experience and viewers are participants not observers.  My sculpture encourages this active engagement.