2006-09-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

Gather your tears, brew your fears.
Cover your lips, perk your ears.
Veil your fruits, crush the seeds.
Part your knees, peace shall be.
I was born on 15th of August 1977 in Birmingham, and brought up in Tehran.

Since childhood painting has always been my natural act of impression and I consider myself a self taught painter. I hold a BA Degree in Graphic Design from Azaad Art & Architecture University (1997-2002). I also work in that field but usually in Illustration.

Dreams and legends are the source of my inspiration and figures are my main elements which I normally paint them subconsciously.
My most favorable subjects are women and religion; Due to my upbringing in Iran religion had a powerful impact on me which has created a desire for expression of boundaries and cultural differences which I normally combine them with different extremes to form a contrast.

Since I came to England my interest in Persian culture has increased and I have developed a need to explore more about own culture to introduce it to others through my work.
In 2004 I did an exhibition in London named Hejab based on different style of outfit in Iran; in each painting I tried to show different area with their cultural element and style of living, it was an achievement as first I had to learn more about it myself to be able to express it and it was very successful in term of an introduction for people that didn’t know much about the Persian culture and most of them were mistaking Iran for Iraq.

I usually work with mixture of watercolors and polychrome pencils and sizes vary up to A1 and recently started to work with acrylics.

Exhibitions and Performance
2006 Eastern Echos, Bhavan Centre,(London)

2006 Desire No Shackles,D'Last Studios,(Chicago)

2006 Pique Nique , Lucia Cipriano's Carte Blanche mobile gallery(Cumbria)

2006 In Arcadia , London Biennale,Orleans House (Richmond)

2006 Spicy Painting performance with Evrah and Steven Moyes,Foundry(London)

2006 Check In, Lucia Cipriano's Carte Blanche mobile gallery,(London, Rome)

2006 The Laundry wants you!, Seven Sisters (London)

2006 50/50 Feminine Image, installation, Stone Crabs (London)

2006 Wotever Extravaganza, Hacney Empire (London)

2006 BBC Family History Day exhibition, British Library (London)

2005 Undiscovered, group exhibition, Art Zone (London)

2004 Hejab, solo exhibition, Promenade gallery (London)

2004 Artist in Exile's Waiting Room exhibition, GP's waiting rooms (London )

2004 Rope Dancing, dancing performance, Bouduior(London)

2004 Dance of Love, musical Play, Saam house, (London)

2004 London Biennale’s Eros Arrows exhibition (London)

2004 Islamic Doll House, Art Installation with Salomeh Grace, Area10 (London)

2002 Solo painting exhibition, Haft Samar gallery (Tehran)

2001 Ten Iranian Women Painters (Brussels)

2001 Solo painting exhibition, Haft Samar gallery (Tehran)

1997 Annual Group Drawing Exhibition, Barg gallery (Tehran)

Maryam Hashemi