ballpoint pen drawing with watercolour, 2014, 31.25"w x 47.625"h
My artwork takes a critical view of social, political and cultural issues toward homosexuality and manhood in the Middle East and Muslim countries. I engage the viewers with the agony and misery of closeted men in the Middle East, where there is no political, social or cultural support. The purpose of my artwork is to bring awareness of this matter to Western LGBT-friendly society. I deconstruct the traditional perspective of manhood by reintroducing the Persian miniature in contemporary form. Persian miniatures are stories—soft, unreal and dreamy-looking artworks that have traditionally represented love between heterosexuals. The techniques have remained untouched for centuries. I updated the form by incorporating ballpoint pen and watercolour. In addition, I raise questions about gaze, gender, sexual orientation and the idea of space by making
a large-scale Persian miniature.
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