Our curators came across a very talented artist and wanted to get to know her better. Athena creates very impressive works both with the life she lives and her view of art. We asked him a few questions so that you can get to know him better:
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I am an Iranian female artist. I am 33 years old and I live in Tehran.
Can you describe your art a little bit?
I work in the field of visual arts and my work style is expressionism.
What are your inspirations?
Inspirations and mindsets: In the human psyche,to forces are always at odds ,one is individual needs and the other in the other is social rules and Costoms.These two necessities aren't in the same direction and man as a "social animal" is inevitable to rein in and contain his individual desires.
However, these demands don't disappear completely but as a deformed creature crawls under the skin,his wounds are Heald and filled ,and eventually the caged creature becomes something that no longer resembles it's outer form.but which is more real, what is trapped under the skin or it's external manifestations ?
I find that what goes on inside the mind is much more fascinating and fascinating than the outward appearance. I imagine sometimes we succeed in suppressing and hiding our individual desires that we forget that such desires exist. What you see is a process in making the invisible visible,in dissecting the shadows.
Who are your role models?
My first role model in my artistic and professional life; The master was Ali Askari, a great man both in everyday life and in artistic life, a person whose face is unfortunately not well-known, he played a colorful role in choosing my artistic path and style, as well as encouraging and persuading me in this twisting and turning path. Also, my entry into the endless world of art, after him, masters such as Bahman Mohasses, Francis Bacon, Egon Schiele and David Hockney left a great impression on me in this way.
The effect of the city you live in on your art?
I can boldly admit, the city where I live motivates me to work more than any other place, here everything is under the worst control and pressure of religious and politicians.
Here, sunflowers are crushed every day and rise again with the first rays of the sunrise.
In Iran, I dealt with censorship in the real sense, both in my normal life and in my professional life. Censorship is a part of Iranian life, so a day without censorship is an incomprehensible and surprising day for these people.
Due to their nature, my works cannot be displayed in this censored space and they are regularly warned by the authorities and custodians.
This issue tempts me more and more to create works with the essence of conceptual art....
This pressure of the dictatorial government causes the migration of all scientific and artistic elites and ordinary people. Unfortunately, the big news networks do not show the world an independent coverage of the interior of Iran, so that most of the people are unaware of these captivity of Iranians... The big governments have their interests in the government remaining. Iran is a religious dictatorship. The fusion art style is one of my other interests.
Artwork or artists you admire outside of your field?
You can hardly find anyone who is not interested in the seventh art or cinema, and I am no exception to this rule.My favorite genres include philosophical, historical, psychological, social and documentary.In the field of music, I follow jazz, rock and classical styles more than any other style.
When did you start to be interested in art?
Since my childhood, my view of the world around me was different and mixed with many questions, and with the passage of time and growing up, the only tool I could use to find answers to my mind's questions and to be satisfied and enriched was art.
Can you describe your art in one sentence?
Showing people to themselves....
Something that is not obvious in anyone's appearance, but as soon as they remove the mask in their privacy, their true nature is revealed.