Mahsa, 2025, Woman, Life, Freedom.
This new body of work by Sayeh Sarfaraz sensitively embodies the political slogan first asserted in 2006 and then echoed by the Iranian movement following the tragic death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022. By paying homage here to all the women persecuted by the Islamic regime and the ongoing dictatorship, Sarfaraz continues to unveil the bright side of her Persian cultural heritage to denounce the repressive system she herself had to flee. Using her creations as acts of resistance turned towards the hope of a better future, she reveals with this project the vibrant colors of a rich and benevolent culture where women were once very much alive. Drawing from the legacy of the Kachkai people, the largest nomadic people on the planet known for the art of weaving and the exceptional quality of Persian carpets since the 11th century, Sarfaraz addresses both the resilience of Iranian women and her own exile. Through traditional iconography depicted with delicate nostalgia, she constantly navigates between the political and symbolic dimensions of her subjects.
Woman, Life, Freedom. Like this vibrant statement, loudly and clearly proclaimed, women assert themselves by stepping into the heart of the artwork. Formats expand, colorful flat areas spread, and motifs unique to the artist's formal vocabulary expand. Thus, Sarfaraz bursts her fine drawing technique in favor of painting and broadens her gesture, her support, and her palette to express her subject with more amplitude both in her compositions and in space. In response to oppression, her Women emancipate themselves, stand up, and (re) take their place. All of it. Sarfaraz reverses the erasure of feminine identity by injecting strength and light into these portraits, which take shape in the work by revealing the beauty of a culture that was once radiant. Thus, the vibrant treasures, the flamboyant jewels, the hanging gardens, and the vivid colors everywhere, all the time, surround and elevate these proud women adorned with gold and precious fabrics belonging to happier days.
These women, our mothers, friends, cousins, aunts, and neighbors become visible again even without being seen, and they confront us with confidence without looking back. Despite this troubled presence, oscillating between the reminder of horror and a rediscovered enchantment, they appear as captivating as they are enveloping and seem to want to protect us. Woman, Life, Freedom. These new icons announce their essence here to resonate powerfully throughout the world.