Persian artist says London exhibition is dedicated to ‘all the brave women’ of Iran

Ann Iranian The artist whose painting of a woman without breasts and crotch went viral dedicates his next work London Shows “all the brave women” fighting for their rights in the country of his birth, including the murdered Mercer Amini.

Raoof Haghighi, 46, who has lived in the UK since 2009, is presenting his solo exhibition Painting is Like Breathing for Me in mid-April.

Mr. Hagigi who lives in read Raised in a family of eight artists under an authoritarian regime in Shiraz, Iran, he told PA News Agency:

“Of course, I learned a lot from my father and brothers. Having talented and artistic people to provide constructive criticism of my work has proven to be very beneficial.

“As I began my own art journey, I found this to be invaluable.”

His primary aim for his exhibition was not only to shed light on the severely restricted rights of Iranian women, but also to “inspire people and hopefully enjoy my creative process.” ” he said.

“I would like to dedicate part of the painting to all the brave women in Iran who are currently fighting for their freedom. I hope that in the near future, people will be able to live freely,” Hagigi added.

One of the exhibition’s standout paintings, Just Take Them and Leave Me Alone, has touched the hearts of many social media users, garnering over 36,000 likes on Instagram and over 2600 comments on Reddit. , shared 40,000 times on Facebook in 2021.

It depicts a woman standing, lying on the ground, with her breasts and crotch separated from her body.

“I had no idea it would touch so many people around the world,” Hagigi said of the painting, which took about five hours to make.

“When I checked my social media accounts after this painting was published, I was shocked to see that it had been shared millions of times.”

Some comments included, “This is unforgettable” and “It’s sad that superficial sexual characteristics are diminishing. You are more than just skin, muscles and body shape”.

Hagigi added that he wants people to interpret this work, like his other works, in their own personal way.

He said, “Many women relate to this particular piece because of what they themselves have experienced in their lives. This can range from experiencing gender-based violence to experiencing cancer.

“In general, I like people to have their own interpretations of art.

“What I love about art is that different people can be affected differently by different backgrounds and life experiences. The same work of art can create completely different experiences. Some people interpret things negatively and vice versa.”

Other works in the exhibition include a series called adam and evewhich attempts to “expose the hypocrisy of forced veils” by depicting various images of women covered with veils and naked women with flowing hair.

Another painting, called Women’s Freedom of Life, is dedicated to Masa Amini, 22, who was murdered last September for violating Iran’s Islamic dress code, which requires women to wear a hijab. There is

It depicts a woman’s loose hair transforming into wings.

After the incident, countless protests were held against issues affecting women and girls, including domestic violence, abortion, and strict Islamic dress codes.

Hagigi wants his collection to “surprise and shock” his audience.

“I am delighted to be able to present some of my favorite surreal and hyper-realistic portraits and drawings in my solo exhibition in London.”

“I really like creating elements that shock and surprise the viewer, and sometimes I am surprised myself when I see the finished product.”

The exhibit will be on view from April 7th to April 16th from 10am to 9pm at the Osborne Studio Gallery. Belgravia,London.