This piece is my visual self-reflection of me as a conscious being which represents my personality and my values. The structure of this self-portrait is a representation of the way I psychologically cope with overwhelming thoughts by giving them visual order. This trick has made its way into my work and made it possible for me to express certain ideas. In this self-portrait. I brought in three sentimental objects to explore the three concepts of home, strength, and closeness.
The first object, which is a pinecone, is a piece I brought with me from my home country, Iran. It reminds me of my experience as expatriate and how that experience shaped my personality. In the self-portrait, it is represented as misplaced facial features and chaotic cubes. The experience of being an expatriate has had a strong influence on the core of my personality and how I see the world.
The second object is a bracelet which was a gift I received from someone special. It represents my experience with love and intimacy throughout my life; questioning the wrong ideas of love and the journey of unlearning those ideas. In the self-portrait, the object is represented as thin threads that keeps the structure together.
The third object is an air plant which is a representation of strength to me. Air plants don’t need water and soil to stay alive and that inspires me to be strong and independent while understanding the crucial needs in my life and ignore the unnecessary ones. In this self-portrait, the idea of strength is represented as thick threads that break through the cubes.
