Artist Statement

I present two series of work each depicting my main concerns in our 21st-century lifestyle.

The first series, Plastic Pollution Under the Ocean, I picture plastic pollution and its harmful impact on sea animals. As a proud pet owner, experiencing unconditional love and loyalty from an animal was my source of inspiration for these pieces. I find it selfish to think of our planet as a place for only humans to live and feel safe. I believe, with every fiber of my being, that every being on our planet has the right to feel safe and live without worries for their tomorrow. I incorporated symbolic Persian design that represents beauty and life. I depicted vibrant flowers with saturated colours on the bodies of each animal. In order to capture the audience’s attention on the negative impact of plastic pollution, I decided to paint some parts of the animal’s body black and white; a colorless approach to highlight the indecency. The black and white parts, which disrupt the order of the colorful patterns, symbolize the human-made disruption in the order of nature. I used a value spectrum of grays to symbolize death and the struggle of the animals to survive and stay alive.

In creating my artworks, I used acrylic medium as a wet adhesive to create collage. I collaged on the animal figures and on the background. I also used plastic wrap for the background in order to capture the feeling of under water.

For each piece, I collaged every-day plastic objects that pollute the environment and endanger the lives of sea animals.

In the second series, Kids’ Isolation During COVID-19 Pandemic, I created digital illustrations about the impact of pandemic isolation on children’s mental health. The illustrations show how children’s cooperation with quarantine enforcement came with a high price to their mental health and emotional well being. It depicts how isolation had severe mental health consequences including experiences of loneliness and anxiety at early ages of childhood. Children of the age of the pandemic will experience lasting damages from the current shelter-at-home practices for years to come.