Forgotten Respect

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Women were highly respected by Zoroastrians in Iran before Islam. Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s oldest religions and it was the primary religion of the Persian Empire before the Muslim conquest of Persia. The words written on this painting make up one of the most famous Zoroastrian quotes: “Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds, there is but one path, that of the path of truth” The Zoroastrian alphabet letters were taken from online websites. I used them as symbols of Zoroastrianism. The nude woman’s body is a suggestion to remind the viewer of the forgotten respect and to contrast the woman’s status in the Zoroastrian era versus after. The background medium is black gesso covered by natural color gesso. Zoroastrian alphabets are scraped out from within it to blend with the female figure. I have used this medium and method to provide the ancient feeling of Zoroastrianism and to compare it with the contemporary female body painted with oil paint. The women body’s and simultaneously the women’s identity, is in flux, before it was given all types of respect and now things are different. As a female Persian artist, I feel it is crucial to remember the roots of respect and to not let them be forgotten forever.

Where it's been: it's recent work and still is with the artist.